Foreign medical students face internship uncertainty after closure of Ad-din Hospital

Foreign students studying at Ad-din Women’s Medical College, particularly those currently undergoing internships, are facing uncertainty over their future careers after the closure of Ad-din Medical College Hospital in Dhaka.

Fearing that an interruption to their internship training could jeopardise their professional registration in their home countries, a 20-member delegation of foreign interns approached the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and the Directorate General of Medical Education (DGME) today (22 June), seeking a solution. However, they received no immediate assurance.

The delegation, comprising students from India and the Maldives, submitted a memorandum to the DGHS’s director general office, outlining five demands, including permission to continue their internship training at Ad-din Hospital. 

The memorandum particularly highlighted the situation of 32 students from Jammu and Kashmir who are currently completing their internships at the hospital.

“They have successfully completed their academic studies and are now undergoing mandatory internship training required for registration and entry into the medical profession,” the memorandum said.

According to the students, India’s regulatory framework for medical graduates requires internships to be completed continuously at the same institution where medical education was undertaken. If an internship is split between different institutions, it may not be recognised for registration purposes.

Speaking to reporters, foreign intern doctor Ilyas Mansoor said, “In our country, students are not allowed to complete their studies at one institution and internship training at another. We have therefore requested the health authorities to consider our exceptional situation on humanitarian grounds.”

The delegation later visited the DGME and met Professor Dr Saki Md Zakiyul Alam, director (Medical Education). However, despite lengthy discussions, they received no immediate solution to the crisis.

Rubina Yasmin, additional director general (Medical Education) at the DGME, said no decision had yet been taken regarding the students’ demands.

According to the memorandum, around 209 foreign students currently enrolled at Ad-din Women’s Medical College are from Jammu and Kashmir.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare formed an investigation committee on 27 May following the deaths of six newborns within a few hours at Ad-din Hospital. The hospital authorities were also served with a show-cause notice. After the response was deemed unsatisfactory, the DGHS revoked the hospital’s licence on 11 June.