Borun Kumar Dash

DHAKA, Sept 23, 2025 (BSS) – Director General of the Directorate General of Medical Education (DGME) Professor Dr. Nazmul Hosain today said the government is mulling over bringing some changes in the MBBS admission test by prioritizing the merit, intelligence and human qualities of the candidates. 

He said this in an exclusive interview with Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).

Dr Nazmul said the date of the admission test may be brought forward a little this year.

He said currently, in the existing system, memorization is given priority in the MCQ method. 
DGME and the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) have consulted experts and stakeholders to include the issue of testing the candidates' talent, mindset, humanity, intelligence and analytical skills, he said.

"Some changes are being made in the medical admission test. Reforms are being made in the test system to ensure that the best possible candidates get the opportunity to produce talented, skilled and humane doctors," he said.

Dr Nazmul said, "To become a doctor, one needs to have some human qualities along with talent. It is not enough to be good at memorization, it is also important to have analytical skills, intelligence and human qualities. The medical profession is different from all other professions. This profession requires various qualities including talent and intelligence, humanity, and communication skills.

“Many countries adopt certain methods to bring talented people with human qualities into this great profession, which we do not have. That is being gradually considered for inclusion in the admission test in the coming years,” he said.

Experts have suggested adding the issue of verifying the analytical ability, attitude, and non-cognitive skills of the candidates, he said. 

However, since the issue is not very easy in the existing MCQ examination system, this change is being considered gradually, he said adding soon; BMDC, the ministry, and the department will take a decision on this issue. 

Once a decision is finalized, it will be informed so that the admission seekers get adequate time to prepare for it, he said.

The DG, DGME said that experts have suggested making such changes in questions that account for 10 to 20 percent of the total marks in the admission test this year and its full implementation within the next two-three years. 

However, the existing single best MCQ system is being investigated on how to bring about this change, he said. 
Noting that the admission test was held in January in the last session, he said considering the national elections in February, this time it has been planned to be held in December.

He said preparations for taking maximum cautionary measures are being taken to stop any malpractice in the medical admission test.

Dr Nazmul said, ‘During the examination, various types of opportunists actually become active. The question papers are prepared with strict secrecy, so that there is no chance of question leakage. The prepared question papers have to be sent safely to hundreds of examination centres across the country.”

“The whole matter has to be done with maximum secrecy. Last year, it was possible to do it beautifully by the grace of Allah, I hope that this year too, Insha Allah, it will be done in the same way,” he said.

He advised everyone to be aware of question leakage and said, “One thing should be kept in mind. For example, last year, although the question paper of the admission test was not leaked, some miscreants tried to extort money from people by spreading rumors of question leaks. The law enforcement agencies have taken immediate action against them.”

He said, “Actually, people need to be aware of this. There is a fraud ring to cheat you. Everyone needs to be careful about them. If we get any such news, we will immediately inform the law enforcement agencies or us. We will take action against them immediately. We will have a zero tolerance policy in this regard.”

Dr Nazmul said, organizing a proper admission test to produce the best doctors is not the sole job of BMDC or the DGME; it is the responsibility of everyone in the national interest. 

For this, he sought cooperation of doctors, civil society, the media and the general public.

When asked about the unplanned construction of unused government buildings or structures of the health ministry, built in the past years, Dr Nazmul said, "These buildings were built in an unplanned manner and are lying in a state of disrepair. A detailed discussion was held in a meeting in the ministry last week. It was informed that there are at least 81 such buildings in the two divisions of health services and medical education. The meeting discussed how to utilize these and other such buildings of  the ministry."

He said the meeting also proposed to form a committee on this issue, which will examine how to utilize these buildings. 

These are expensive buildings built with the people's tax money, he said.

Stating that we have identified 10 such buildings under the DGME, Dr Nazmul said, "We have determined some action plans for these buildings. Arrangements are being made to use some of these buildings quickly or alternative uses, where applicable.

He said that five such buildings will be used to provide treatment to various health workers, including medical students, intern doctors, and others, in rural settings.

Regarding the recently organized Inter-Medical College Cultural Festival organized by the DG, Medical Education, the Director General said, "This is the first time that this youth festival has been organized by the Directorate of Medical Education with medical colleges from all over the country." 

The cultural festival was organized at 9 centres at the regional level. The final phase was held in a festive atmosphere at Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College in Dhaka on September 20 and 21.

 The entire cost of this event was borne by the Directorate General of Medical Education and the participating medical colleges and no financial donations were accepted from any pharmaceutical company or third party.

Stating that this event will be organized every year from now on, Dr Nazmul said, 

"We want our students to be busy with sports and cultural activities along with their studies. This will help in developing their advanced mindset and will also protect them from the danger of going astray."