Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain has said that there is no end to medical science and newly enrolled residents must integrate professional knowledge with humanistic values and develop themselves into compassionate specialist doctors.
He made the commentsas the chief guest at the Residency Induction Program held on Sunday at the Shaheed Abu Sayed International Convention Centre of Bangladesh Medical University (BMU).
The health minister said that healthcare services must be provided with empathy and good behavior towards patients. Every moment of academic life should be utilized properly to prepare oneself in such a way that patients do not have to go abroad for treatment. He assured necessary support for establishing a molecular laboratory, a modern library, and residential hostels for residents.
Health State Minister Dr MA Muhit said the present government is committed to ensuring quality healthcare services for the people. He said newly enrolled residents can play a significant role in achieving this goal. He urged them to make proper use of their higher medical education period and to give importance to research. He also stressed the need to gain knowledge in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to become internationally standard specialists.
The program was presided over by BMU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Shahinul Alam, who administered the oath to the new residents. A total of 1,306 residents participated in the oath-taking ceremony. Among them, 543 are from the Faculty of Surgery, 400 from the Faculty of Medicine, 124 from the Faculty of Paediatrics, 156 from the Faculty of Basic and Paraclinical Sciences, and 83 from the Faculty of Dentistry.
President of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) Professor Dr Harun Al Rashid said that today’s residents will lead the country’s healthcare system in the future. DAB Secretary General Dr Md Zahirul Islam Shakil urged residents to develop themselves appropriately to ensure a humane healthcare system.
The program was conducted by BMU Registrar Professor Dr Md Nazrul Islam. Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration) Professor Dr Md Abul Kalam Azad elaborated on the residency program. Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research and Development) Professor Dr Md Mujibur Rahman Hawlader delivered the welcome speech, while Treasurer Professor Dr Nahreen Akhtar gave the vote of thanks. In the second session, Proctor Dr Sheikh Forhad also spoke.
In his speech, the vice-chancellor said that around 3,000 research projects have been completed at BMU over the past 15 years. Among them, 1,100 research findings have been published in indexed journals in the last five years. He said that with the introduction of e-logbook, e-IRB, development of the BMU Journal, and international recognition in evidence-based medicine, opportunities have been created for new residents to develop themselves into internationally standard specialist doctors.
He further said that many patients fall below the poverty line every year due to medical expenses. Therefore, emphasis must be placed on ensuring advanced healthcare services at lower costs, considering the country’s socio-economic context.