Online Desk  :  A group of Medical Assistant Training School (MATS) students have once again staged a sit-in at Shahbagh after their four-point demands were not fulfilled within the stipulated seven working days. According to a written commitment from the Ministry of Health, these demands were supposed to be met. The students marched from the Karwan Bazar area towards Shahbagh around 11:15 am on Sunday. They then began observing a sit-in protest in front of Shahbagh Police Station.

The students stated that even after 53 years of independence, MATS students continue to face various forms of oppression and discrimination. Despite the July mass uprising aimed at building a discrimination-free Bangladesh, the long-standing inequalities faced by MATS students remain unresolved. On January 22, the students gathered at Shahbagh with a four-point demand. The Secretary of the Ministry of Health had given a written commitment to fulfill their demands within seven working days, prompting the students to temporarily suspend their protest.

They added that since the Ministry and the relevant departments have not taken any sincere action, they have now resumed their movement. They warned that the Ministry of Health, the Directorate General of Health Services, the Directorate General of Family Planning, and the Bangladesh State Medical Faculty must take full responsibility for this movement.

The students also mentioned that currently, 16 government MATS and nearly 200 private MATS institutions are offering the Diploma in Medical Assistance (DMFA) course. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, around 5,000 diploma-level medical officers are working in Upazila Health Complexes, Union Sub-Health Centers, Union Health and Family Welfare Centers, and district hospitals. At present, nearly 50,000 skilled personnel who have completed the DMFA course remain unemployed.

The students’ demands are as follows :

1. The recruitment process for vacant positions in the Directorate General of Health Services and the Directorate General of Family Planning should be resumed urgently, and the creation of the position of Assistant Community Medical Officer should be established to provide medical services at community clinics.
2. The institution’s name, course names, and the issues and inconsistencies in the 2021 curriculum (as per the 1985 decision) must be resolved, and a new intern logbook should be developed.
3. Higher education opportunities must be provided in clinical subjects recognised by the BMDC, for students deprived of higher education.
4. The proposed Allied Health Professional Board’s draft law should be implemented with amendments to all proposed sections, including a name change.