Protest halts intake at Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College amid demands for regulatory council

Student protests demanding the formation of an independent regulatory council have forced authorities to halt admissions to the Government Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College in Dhaka.

Monday was the closing day for admitting students into the 36th batch of the Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery (BUMS) and Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) programmes.

Each course allows an annual intake of 25 students, totalling 50 for both.

But for the past 14 days, students of the institution have been staging protests, demanding the formation of a separate statutory council for their discipline.

Earlier, they held sit-ins outside the Directorate of Medical Education and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) headquarters.

Continuing their campaign on Monday, the students occupied their college campus in Mirpur Section 13 and boycotted classes, blocking all admission activities on what was meant to be the last day of enrolment.

“For now, admissions will remain suspended,” said protester Farhar Reza.

“Until the ministry issues clear directives and formulates policy to establish a council, we won’t allow any intake.”

He said, “So far, 35 batches have enrolled here. Some have already graduated. But we have no future, many of our seniors can’t even practise. If new students enrol now, they’ll also be trapped in uncertainty. That’s why we’re stopping this intake.”

The students argue that without a dedicated and independent regulatory body, like the councils that exist for allopathic medicine, dental medicine, and homeopathy, graduates of Unani and Ayurvedic medicine face legal and professional hurdles, including barriers to registration and penalties during mobile court drives.

Mohammad Muslim Uddin, an assistant professor and a member of the college’s admission committee, said the faculty sympathised with the protesters’ demand.

“We teachers fully agree on the need for a council,” he said.

“It’s been almost 35 years, and no proper council has been formed. Instead, a temporary committee under the DGHS is issuing our registrations, which has led to a lot of complications.

“When mobile courts are conducted or magistrates raid clinics, our practitioners are detained and penalised. This has created a lot of suffering for professionals in the field,” he added.

The Government Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College was established in 1989 in Mirpur-13 to preserve the ancient medical traditions of the subcontinent and produce scientifically trained physicians through institutional education and research.

Students at the college pursue a five-year BUMS or BAMS programme followed by a one-year internship. The college is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of Dhaka University and operates under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.