PATIENTS suffer across the country as the intern doctors of public hospitals in divisional towns went on a work abstention programme on February 23, demanding that anyone without a bachelor of medicine, surgery, or dental surgery cannot be allowed to use the title 鈥榙octor鈥�. Since healthcare services, particularly in the outpatient and emergency departments in the public hospitals, are largely dependent on the services of the medical interns, their absence caused service disruption. The strike was enforced by the Intern Doctors Council with the demand for a clear policy-level distinction between MBBS/BDS doctors and other health professionals, such as medical assistants, as it is considered vital for preserving public trust and professional integrity. Their concern is that allowing medical assistants to take on responsibilities beyond their expertise, such as performing diagnostic procedures or managing hospitals, could imperil care quality, increase the risk of misdiagnoses and threaten patient safety. While their concerns are not unfounded, they should reconsider their protest strategies, as it is their professional obligation to provide treatment to the patients under all circumstances.
The intern doctors enforced the strike in the context of medical assistants鈥� legal pursuit to obtain the designation of doctor, and a petition regarding their demand is currently under review in the High Court. Earlier in August 2024, the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council made a decision to grant medical assistants the status of 鈥楻egistered Diploma Medical Practitioner鈥�. The diploma in medical faculty offered through medical assistant training schools, while valuable, does not provide the same level of comprehensive clinical and diagnostic skills. Many fear that allowing medical assistants to practise independently could lead to an increase in unqualified practice, posing a risk to public health. The substandard quality of medical education is already proving costly in Bangladesh. In recent times, the numbers of reported incidents of medical malpractices has been on the rise. According to recent records of the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council, private medical colleges are being run with less than 50 per cent of teaching staff. The mushrooming of medical colleges is partly blamed for the situation. The crisis at hand suggests that the government, particularly the health ministry, needs to review medical education policies and certification processes to align them with global standards.
Every doctor has a professional, legal and moral duty towards their patients; therefore, they should not resort to strikes or abstain from performing their responsibility to mobilise support for their cause. On the other hand, the government, particularly the ministry of health and family welfare, should recognise the significance of standardising the medical education and certification process to prevent medical malpractice and ensure the quality of health care in Bangladesh.