Two-year internship proposal annoys medical students

The government has proposed implementing a two-year internship programme to qualify as a doctor, much to the chagrin of medical students, reports bdnews24.com.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Aug 27 issued a circular attaching the draft policy and sought opinions on the issue by September 18.

The plan proposes posting second year medical interns to an upazilla health complex after completing the first year of the internship in their respective medical college hospitals.

At present, an aspiring physician on completing the five-year MBBS course has to undertake a year-long internship with a temporary licence from the Bangladesh Medical & Dental Council (BMDC).

The licence becomes permanent upon completing the internship from their respective medical college hospitals.

Students of Sir Sallimullah Medical College in Dhaka organised a protest rally on the campus on Saturday while others took to social media to vent their fury over the draft plan.

Mohammad Moniruzzaman, a fifth year student of Sir Salimullah Medical College, said that they will never accept the proposal.

"It takes six and a half years for a regular student to become a doctor. With an additional year of internship, it will now take seven and a half years.

In India and even in the United States, a doctor can complete post-graduation within that time. Why should we suffer?" he asked.