'Drop the lawsuit, we`ll consider'

Dhaka, Sep 2  The government will await court order but at the same time release medical admission forms so that no time is wasted, the Health Minister said Sunday after meeting a group of protesters.

The minister also said he would consider going back to traditional system of medical admission if the lawsuit challenging the government decision was withdrawn.

Student representatives said the talks were not fruitful. "We are not clear about outcome," Mohammad Foyez, a student representative, told bdnews24.com.

He added that the students will decide on whether to urge for withdrawal of the petition through discussions and brief journalists in the afternoon.

Sunday's meeting with the aspiring medical students was intended to quell the protests against a new enrollment system that has taken the government to court.

The meeting began at 10:15 am at his office in the Secretariat.

Five representatives from the protesting group and another three aspirants who support the government's decision joined the parley. State Minister for Health Mozibur Rahman Fakir, Health Secretary Humayun Kabir, Bangladesh Medical Association Secretary General Dr Sharfuddin Ahmed and civil society representative Syed Abul Maksud also attended the meeting.

On Aug 12, the health minister announced that only GPAs in the SSC and HSC examinations would be the sole yardstick to ensure, what he said quality admissions in medical and dental colleges.

Students across the country who are interested to sit for the MBBS and BDS admission tests denounced the decision and launched protests from the next day. But a second group of aspirants also took to the streets to support the ministry's decision.

As the stalemate continues, the health minister on Saturday responded to a demand of the protesting students positively and asked them to meet him on Sunday to discuss the issue.

The dispute over the admission tests has even gone to the High Court.

Yunus Ali Akhand, a lawyer and also a guardian of a medical admission seeker, has challenged the decision in the High Court which asked the government to explain the move.

He also filed a supplementary petition on Aug 23 in a bid to secure an order to start admission process with earlier system – 1 hour, 100 mark MCQ test.

A High Court bench on Aug 27 when the students resumed their protest after two-week of hiatus for Eid-ul-Fitr gave a split verdict meaning the issue would be heard in a separate bench. But it is yet to hear.

Altogether there are 8,493 seats in all medical and dental schools in Bangladesh.

The number is 2,811 in the 22 government medical colleges and 4,245 in the 53 private ones.

The nine public dental colleges and medical colleges' dental units have 567 seats while 14 private dental institutes have 870 seats.

Some felt such a rushed decision should be revised.

Dr M Mushtuq Husain, General Secretary of Bangladesh Chikitshak Sangsad, a forum of doctors, earlier said there should have been extensive consultations with all before introducing a new system and such decision should come at least a year before.

"Students of two sessions – current and previous – can sit the admission test. So if you change the system, you have to decide it at least a year before."