MBBS exam qualifiers must vow never to smoke or take drugs in order to secure their admission to the country's medical colleges, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim told parliament Thursday.
Medical college teachers will also be required to make this commitment.
“We have decided that from this year, every student that passes the MBBS admissions test will have to give an undertaking never to smoke. Otherwise, they will not be admitted even though they have qualified,” Nasim said responding to a query in the house.
He urged parents and teachers to ask students not to smoke and to raise awareness about the health risks associated with smoking.
In reply to another query, the health minister said his ministry was considering increasing the number of places at the country’s medical colleges. There are currently 3,212 places at the 31 government medical colleges and another 5,980 seats at the country's 66 private medical colleges, he said.
Responding to another query, Nasim said according to government statistics, there were 4,143 HIV-positive patients in Bangladesh as of November, 2015.
