The government has approved the draft of a new law that would ensure that medical education in Bangladesh is on par with global standards and recognised internationally.
The decision on the ‘Bangladesh Medical Education Accreditation Act 2021’ was made at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday, reports bdnews24.com.
In its guidelines, the World Health Organization and the World Federation for Medical Education require medical education institutions to be approved by a national accreditation council in order to receive international accreditation.
“Unless we get this accreditation, no one who completes the MBBS in Bangladesh will be able to go abroad to study or be recognised as a doctor in another country,” Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said.
From 2024, anyone who receives a medical education at an institution that is not accredited by an independent accreditation commission will be unable to pursue higher studies in the US or Canada, he added.
Under the new law, the accreditation council will oversee all matters of accreditation, including the domestic accreditation policy.
“We will set the accreditation criteria after discussing the matter with the international agencies.”