Bangladesh has become a popular destination of students from developing countries for pursuing undergraduate medical education through offering affordable and quality academic courses.
In the recent past, the number of students, seeking admission to Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, popularly known as MBBS course, significantly grew because of the reputation of both public and private medical colleges.
The quality of medical education offered by most of the medical colleges in Bangladesh is recognised by international bodies like the World Health Organisation, UNESCO and medical councils of many Middle Eastern and Central Asian nations.
Even equally reputed international academic councils like the Education Council for Foreign Medical Graduates or ECFMG and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or ACGME of the USA, Medical Council of Canada, and Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research’s International Medical Education Directory known as FAIMER’s IMED also recognise medical education in Bangladesh.
No wonder 3,580 foreign students, mostly from neighbouring India, pursue competent 5-year, plus one-year internship, medical course in Bangladesh at tuition fees lower than other countries.
Every year about 6,400 students enroll at private medical colleges of whom 2,880 come from abroad. Another 4,293 students get admitted to public medical colleges of whom 700 foreign students enroll under government scholarship.
The rising trend of foreign students pursuing medical education in Bangladesh is well reflected in numbers where the vast majority comes from India. Course curriculum in Bangladesh is almost similar to neighbouring countries that increases the chances of Bangladesh being a priority choice.
According to the government rules, 45 percent of the total admission is allocated to foreign students in private medical colleges and almost all medical colleges reported 100 percent seat occupancy which clearly illustrates the high rate of acceptance.
There are 37 public and 71 private medical colleges in the country. Many of the campuses are located outside the capital and they have their adjoining hospitals, dormitories, patios and playgrounds for extracurricular activities.
Zainul Haque Sikder Women’s Medical College is among the top-rated medical colleges having long experience of teaching foreign students since 1996.
The principal of the college, Professor Md Saijuddin Kabir, proudly said, “We maintain excellence in all aspects of education. Irrespective of nationalities we ensure that every student gets the highest standard of education and today many of our graduates (foreign) are known to hold prestigious positions as senior doctors in their respective countries.”
“Most of our students are referred by graduate students who completed studies at our college earlier. This is an indication of high-quality education. Otherwise, why would so many students seek admission here?”
Asked about the security and safety of the female students, Professor Kabir said, “We have 3-tier security and we also constantly monitor our students under strict regulations.”
Professor Mohammad Abdul Halim, Principal of Khwaja Yunus Ali Medical College (KYAMC) in Sirajganj, made similar claims while speaking to this correspondent.
“We don’t compromise with the standard of our education. We’re constantly adapting to the modern method of teaching so that our students, when they return home, can pursue international-standard medicine practice,” he said.
Many foreign students expressed that Bangladesh is truly a secular country and Hindu students from Nepal and India or even Buddhist students from Sri Lanka face no discrimination. “We celebrate Durga Puja and Holy here and visit Mandirs,” said Tanya, an Indian student from New Delhi.
Nazmul Ahsan Sarker, Managing Director of Rangpur Community Medical College (RCMC), while sharing his experiences with the Bangladesh Post, said, “One of the reasons why we get so many foreign students is that we maintain a friendly and secured environment. In addition, we take extra care for individual foreign students so that they feel they are at home.”
Ahsan also explained that due to healthy competition among the private medical colleges, the standard of not only education but also dormitories, cuisine services and extra curriculum activities have improved to a great extent which is why foreign as well as native students feel comfortable studying in Bangladesh.
Motiur Rahman, Executive Director of Bangladesh Private Medical College Association, while sharing his views on the standard of medical education in Bangladesh told this correspondent, “The reasons why so many foreign students come to study MBBS here is the government’s policy to control and monitor the curriculum. This is why the standard of education is almost identical – be it classroom lessons or practical lessons.”
Rahman, who is also a former official concerned for monitoring the quality of medical education from the health ministry, explained, “The standardised medical education system rules out any discrimination in the quality of education. A foreign student studying in a private medical college in Dhaka would find almost similar quality if admitted to a college outside the capital.”
Foreign students prefer Bangladesh for MBBS courses due to budget-friendly tuition fees. Studying medicine in Bangladesh is the cheapest among South Asian nations. It roughly costs US$ 35,000-40,000 to complete a five-year course in a private medical college on average in Bangladesh.
The same course in India would cost more than double. Tuition fees in private medical colleges vary from US$ 50,000 to US$65,000 in Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka while the same standard of education in Malaysia, The Philippines, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan would cost five to ten times the average cost in Bangladesh.
Ashmita Vattarai, a medical student from Nepal now pursuing an internship in RCMC, told the Bangladesh Post, “We feel at home and safe and above all the cost of medical education in Bangladesh is lower than in my own country. Clinical practice in adjoining hospitals helps us a lot in quick learning.”
Niraj Pumar Puri, a fellow intern student at RCMC also from Nepal, told this correspondent, “I would recommend other aspiring students in Nepal to study in Bangladesh. I have noticed that the curriculum is set in such a manner that it automatically demands putting in your best efforts. Students here are under constant pressure and external examiners check our exam papers, which is very fair and brings confidence.”
Another major reason why so many foreign students prefer Bangladesh is adapting to the most advanced methodology of teaching and changing the curriculum accordingly.
Professor Syeda Shahina Sobhan, Director, Centre for Medical Education (CME), told the Bangladesh Post, “We believe that science is advancing and so we have to keep pace with it. To do that, we reviewed and updated curriculum in 2012 with Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC).”
She said early this year they reviewed the curriculum again under Faculty Development Programme with support from WHO and BMDC. “We emphasised improving teaching skills so that medical education in Bangladesh is elevated to the international standard to match MBBS studies in other countries.”
Professor Arman Hossain, Registrar in-charge at BMDC, while sharing his views on the quality of medical education with the Bangladesh Post, said, “Our curriculum matches those of Commonwealth countries so our doctors are well recognised internationally. Frankly speaking, many of the students seek opportunities of studying in Bangladesh because it is a cheaper though same international standard is maintained here.”
Asked about updating the curriculum, Professor Hossain said, “BMDC makes sure that a minimum standard of lessons is maintained in all medical colleges. We’re also continuously updating our syllabus to keep pace with modern health science. We’re now in the process of introducing a new curriculum just reviewed in fiscal 2021-22.”