Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday assured doctors and medical students that his government will work to address long-standing challenges in the healthcare sector after they placed a series of proposals before him at the 80th anniversary program of Dhaka Medical College (DMC).
The proposals included raising the retirement age for government doctors, modernizing the MBBS curriculum, improving internship training, introducing a national referral system, reducing class sizes, expanding clinical training opportunities, rebuilding the ageing DMC hospital, and strengthening healthcare services across the country.
Speaking at a discussion titled "Ideas of Present and Former DMC Students on Modernizing Bangladesh's Healthcare System," the prime minister said many of the solutions should come from the medical community itself.
Responding to a proposal to improve internship training, he asked why interns are not getting enough practical opportunities.
When a student said the large number of postgraduate trainees often limited interns' hands-on experience, Tarique Rahman asked, "What is the solution?"
After the student suggested that hospital authorities should give interns more opportunities, he replied, "The solution is already with you. You have to sit together and find it."
On the issue of strengthening healthcare outside major cities, the prime minister said the government is already working to improve upazila hospitals by increasing the number of beds from 50 to 100 over the next five years.
When a doctor said patients from villages are coming directly to Dhaka Medical College Hospital as there is no proper referral system, he said, "If we can go to villages seeking votes, why cannot doctors go there to provide treatment?"
Tarique Rahman stressed that better healthcare services at the grassroots will reduce pressure on tertiary hospitals.
He also reminded doctors of their responsibilities towards patients. "When I come to you as a sick person, you become my closest friend. That carries a great responsibility," he said, adding: "We sometimes see things that cause us pain. We hope those negative experiences will gradually disappear."
Earlier, former DMC student and Mymensingh-7 MP Dr Md Mahbubur Rahman urged the government to increase the retirement age for government doctors.
"In countries like the UK, doctors retire at 65 or 67. Here we retire at 59. Fifty-nine is no age now because life expectancy has increased. "I think the retirement age for doctors should be reconsidered so they can continue serving people."
Mahbubur Rahman also praised the government's health initiatives and expressed confidence that the sector will see major improvements.
During the discussion, the prime minister made a light-hearted remark that drew laughter and applause from the audience.
After he said the prime minister had a clear vision for the health sector, Tarique smiled and said, "You said I have health in my mind. Health is not what is in my mind. She is," pointing to his wife, cardiologist Dr Zubaida Rahman, who was seated beside him.
The audience responded with loud applause, while Mahbubur Rahman replied, "We are really proud."
Current DMC students also presented a number of proposals.
Student Sadia Tasnim called for the construction of a new hospital building, saying the existing structure, built in 1904, was no longer suitable for modern healthcare.
She also proposed reducing annual student intake to improve clinical training and suggested reforming the medical admission examination.
Another student, Zohayer Islam, proposed replacing the existing subject-based MBBS curriculum with an integrated module-based system followed in many developed countries.
He also requested two weekly holidays for medical students to reduce academic pressure and improve mental health.
The prime minister replied that doctors in the audience should consider the issue, adding with a smile, "I also work seven days a week."
Resident Surgeon Dr Mir Rashek Alam Abhi highlighted the severe pressure on doctors at the DMCH, saying five medical officers often had to treat more than 400 outdoor patients in a day, leaving less than five minutes for each patient.
He argued that introducing an effective national referral system will ease the burden on tertiary hospitals.
Other speakers included former students, doctors and researchers, who discussed ways to modernize Bangladesh's healthcare system.
The program was held at Dr Shamsul Alam Khan Milon Auditorium as part of the college's 80th founding anniversary celebrations.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman attended the program as the chief guest, while his wife Zubaida Rahman, a member of DMC's 43rd batch, joined as the special guest.
