Bangladesh Medical Education Accreditation Bill, 2023 was passed in Parliament on Thursday aiming to ensure quality medical education by acknowledging the academic curriculum and the concerned institutions by providing accreditation certificates.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque moved the Bill in the House and it was passed by voice vote.
According to the Bill, an accreditation council will be formed to recognise the medical educational institutions of the country.
Anyone going abroad to provide medical treatment or study medical science has to have approval from the Bangladesh Accreditation Council.
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The proposed law has been brought in principle to improve the quality of medical education and treatment in Bangladesh in line with the world.
From now on, no one will be able to go abroad to study and provide medical services without this approval.
According to a joint decision of the World Health Organisation and the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), an accreditation council would recognise medical educational institutions in every country in order to gain medical recognition in the developed world.
As per the Bill, without this accreditation, even if someone from Bangladesh passes MBBS, he or she will not be able to go abroad for higher study, or be recognised as a doctor in any other country.
By 2024, as per the Bill, doctors from countries where medical institutions have not been recognised by an independent accreditation council, will not have the opportunity to receive higher education, training or professional work in the United States and Canada.