Students of the Medical Technology and Pharmacy programs held a human chain and blocked a road, staging an agitation rally to press for their six-point demand to ensure quality and proper health services for the public.
Their demands included the introduction of BSc and MSc courses in all related fields, including a Bachelor’s in Pharmacy, as well as the provision of scholarships and training allowances.
The event was organized by the Anti-Discrimination Medical Technology and Pharmacy Chhatra Sangram Parishad at the Chandmari intersection in the city on Sunday at noon.
Speakers included Sultan Abid Hasan from the Barisal Institute of Health Technology, Nasrullah, the central joint convener, and Muhammad Zidan from the Barisal branch committee of the Anti-Discrimination Medical Technology and Pharmacy Chhatra Sangram Parishad.
The speakers outlined a six-point demand, including upholding proportional promotion for graduate medical technologists and pharmacists in the ninth-grade positions. They called for ensuring quality and proper public health services and demanded the establishment of independent inspectorates for medical technologists and pharmacists.
Participants also demanded 10th-grade ranks for diploma holders and the creation of positions proportional to World Health Organization guidelines.
They urged the resumption of the recruitment process, which was suspended in 2013, with a focus on swift and prioritized hiring.
Further demands included the establishment of a Medical Technology Council to provide professional licensing and a Diploma Medical Education Board.
Additional requests from participants included upgrading the Institutes of Health Technology to university status, creating structured career paths for teachers, and revising recruitment rules and grading consistency.
The protesting students warned of further action if these demands were not met promptly.
