Rajshahi Correspondent

The land acquisition process for establishing Rajshahi Medical University (RMU) on its own campus has begun.

An administrative team led by Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Muhammad Shariful Haque visited the site and talked to the land-owners on the acquisition process on Sunday.

Assistant Commissioners (Land) Abhijit Sarker and Shahin Mian, Land Acquisition Officer Maznun Ishti and high officials of RMU accompanied the team.

RMU will be established on 67.78 acres of land in Borobangram, Shilinda and Baroipara areas for smoothing its administrative, academic and healthcare activities.

"We are expecting to complete the land acquisition process as soon as possible," said Shariful Haque.

The campus will house a 1,200-bed hospital to facilitate healthcare services for the people along with expanding medical education and research in the northwest and southern parts of the country.

RMU Planning and Development Director Engineer Sirajum Munir told BSS that the RMU establishment project has been approved in the meeting of ECNEC on June 14 last involving Taka 1,867 crore.

Around 50 big and small buildings, including academic, administrative, 1,200-bed hospital, mosque, school, daycare centre, central library, VC's Lounge, dormitory and medical gas plant, will be built, he said.

A nursing institute will also be established on the campus for creating skilled nurses.

Around 12,000 students are being admitted to 80 medical, nursing, dental colleges and other institutions under RMU's jurisdiction every year as its registrar office is implementing all the scheduled works competently, RMU sources said.

There are 74 affiliated institutions, including 13 government and 13 non-government medical colleges, two government and five non-government dental colleges, six government and 31 non-government nursing colleges, one government and two non-government institutes of health technology and Hamdard Unani Medical College and Hospital under the university.

"We have plans of launching post-graduation courses, including PhD, under the existing eight faculties of the university as soon as possible." Sirajum Munir said.

The RMU has been conducting MBBS, BDS, BSc in Nursing, BSc in Physiotherapy and Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery (BUMS) courses since the 2017-18 academic session successfully.

Sirajum Munir added that all the existing public and private medical colleges, dental colleges, nursing colleges and institute of health technology in Rajshahi, Rangpur and Khulna divisions were brought under the jurisdiction of RMU.

The medical university has been playing a vital role in expanding medical education in the region by arranging competent and devoted workforces as it has already achieved academic excellence to a greater extent.

Upon its successful implementation of the project, around 780 graduate and post-graduate level students of 68 departments under ten faculties will get scopes of medical study and research.

Apart from this, around 5,000 people in the medical and nursing professions will get employment opportunities. Besides, two crore people in the country's northwest region will get improved medical and healthcare facilities.