SRINAGAR: More than 200 medical students from Jammu and Kashmir studying at Ad-din Women’s Medical College in Bangladesh have appealed to authorities to allow the continuation of their internship training at Ad-din Hospital, warning that any disruption could jeopardise years of medical education and prevent them from obtaining professional registration in India.
The appeal comes after Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) cancelled the licence of Ad-din Medical College Hospital in Dhaka following investigations into the deaths of six newborns at the facility in May.
On June 22, a group of 32 foreign medical interns submitted a five-point memorandum to the DGHS, seeking permission to complete their mandatory internship at the hospital despite the licence revocation. The students said that around 209 foreign students enrolled at the medical college are from Jammu and Kashmir.
In their memorandum, the students stated that many had already completed several years of medical education and that 32 Kashmiri students were currently undergoing internship training at the hospital.
The students said they had completed their academic coursework and were in the final stage of mandatory internship training required for registration as medical practitioners. They expressed concern that transferring them to another institution could create complications when seeking recognition of their qualifications in India.
According to the students, Indian medical regulations require foreign medical graduates to complete internship training continuously at the same institution where they received their medical education. Any interruption or division of internship training between multiple institutions could affect eligibility for registration and future medical practice.
The uncertainty deepened after Bangladesh’s Directorate of Medical Education directed Ad-din Women’s Medical College to attach students and interns to alternative hospitals for clinical training following the cancellation of the hospital’s licence.
Professor Dr Rubina Yasmin, Additional Director General (Medical Education), said the medical college itself had not been closed and that students would be accommodated elsewhere for practical training. She said the college had been instructed to sign a memorandum of understanding with another general hospital and inform the authorities within three working days.
Under Bangladesh’s Private Medical Colleges and Dental Colleges Act, 2022, a medical college must have access to a functioning hospital for clinical education and internship training.
The crisis stems from an incident on May 27 when six newborns died within four hours in the post-operative ward of Ad-din Hospital’s maternity unit in Dhaka’s Moghbazar area.
Subsequent investigations by the Health Ministry and the DGHS found evidence of serious negligence by hospital authorities, nurses and staff. Probe reports cited severe overcrowding, prolonged shutdown of air-conditioning, inadequate ventilation, absence of an on-duty physician and delays in emergency response as factors contributing to the deaths.
Following the investigations, the DGHS issued a show-cause notice to the hospital and later revoked its operating licence on June 11, terming the institution’s response to the findings unsatisfactory.
Health authorities subsequently directed six major government hospitals in Dhaka to receive patients transferred from Ad-din Hospital and ensure continuity of medical care.
While the hospital has the right to seek a review of the decision or file an appeal within 30 days, uncertainty continues over the future of internship training for hundreds of medical students, particularly those from Jammu and Kashmir who fear that any interruption could leave their degrees and professional careers in jeopardy.
