Govt approves new medical college in Munshiganj amid nationwide seat cuts

Govt has approved the establishment of a new public medical college in Munshiganj despite reducing the number of seats at several public and private medical colleges over inadequate facilities.

On December 30, 2025, the health ministry granted approval in principle for the establishment of Munshiganj Medical College and Hospital, which will be the country's 38th public medical college.

However, the circular, signed by Health Secretary Saidur Rahman, noted that academic activities can only begin once the necessary infrastructure has been developed.

Sources at the health ministry said several influential figures from the district played a key role in securing approval for the establishment of the medical college.

Contacted, Prof Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser for the health ministry, said the primary approval for the medical college was granted considering the district's geographical position, which would make it easier to provide manpower.

However, he told this correspondent that the final decision on whether to approve the start of academic activities will be taken by the next government, while declining to provide further details.

The health ministry has cut down 572 seats in government and private medical colleges for the 2025-26 session, citing a lack of necessary infrastructure, manpower, hospital facilities, and other issues.

According to official documents, the health ministry reduced a total of 355 seats across 14 government medical colleges, including eight of the oldest public medical colleges.

The decision to reduce the overall number of seats comes two years after the previous administration increased seats by 1,030 for the 2023-24 session, a move widely criticised for being made without proper assessment despite shortages of teachers, infrastructure, and laboratory facilities.

Officials said many of those approvals were made on political grounds. After the fall of the Awami League government in August 2024, the interim administration sharply criticised the earlier expansion and announced plans to rationalise seats to uphold academic standards.

Many of the new public medical colleges do not have the necessary infrastructure and face a severe teacher shortage, compromising the quality of medical education for students, they said.

Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum and Prof Sayedur Rahman had both said that some substandard public medical colleges would be shut down or merged with others to ensure the quality of medical education. However, the move could not be implemented due to fears of backlash and possible protests, they said.

A top ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that the pressure which prevented them from closing down the medical colleges in question also led the ministry to approve the new medical college.