The students of Medical Assistant Training School (MATS) have taken position at Shahbagh to press home their four-point demand, including appointment to vacant posts and recruitment in vacant posts.
Hundreds of students marched to Shahbagh around 11:00am on Sunday and took position on the road. Vehicular movement came to a standstill on the road from TSC to Shahbagh in the capital.
The students took position on the road in front of the National Museum around 11:30 am. They warned of continuation of sit-in program if their demands are not met.
The four-point demands are as follows:
1. Higher education opportunities must be provided in a discrimination-free Bangladesh in accordance with the Bangladesh government's First Five-Year Plan (1973-1978).
2. Immediate recruitment should be made for vacant positions of Sub-Assistant Community Medical Officers, and new positions should be created for MATs (Medical Assistant Training School), DMF (Diploma in Medical Faculty) diploma holders in community clinics, government and private hospitals, and clinics.
3. The four-year academic course should be maintained, and the one-year internship with stipend should be reinstated as before, along with necessary revisions to the inconsistent course curriculum.
4. The proposed Allied Health Professional Education Board should be abolished, and a new board named the "Medical Education Board of Bangladesh" should be established.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
