Medical students from various cities have gathered in front of the parliament to stage a sit-in, protesting against the Ministry of Higher Education’s decision to shorten the study period from 7 to 6 years.
Students from all medical, pharmacy, and public dental faculties will also participate in a national strike. This strike will encompass both theoretical and practical courses, clinical training, as well as day and night shifts on Thursday and Friday, December 7th and 8th.
Talking to Hespress EN under the condition of anonymity, a medical student expressed deep concern about their current situation, describing it as “catastrophic,” particularly in the aftermath of the decision to reduce the study period from 7 to 6 years. This reform is anticipated to exacerbate existing grievances and challenges.
The student criticized the Ministry’s unilateral decision, stating that there is a lack of transparency regarding its implementation in the absence of a regulatory law.
The same source added that the decision-making process excluded students, leaving the Ministry to independently determine when and how to execute the reform, which poses a significant issue for students.
“This isn’t genuine reform,” the student asserted. “A comprehensive reform of medical studies should encompass all years of study and training, not just the 6th year.”
The student said that there is an urgent need for an upgrading reform, pointing out the current challenges in terms of insufficient training hospitals.
The demand for an expansion in the number of hospitals, equipped with quality facilities, equipment and supervisors, has been a longstanding plea to ensure students enter the profession adequately trained.
While acknowledging the existing drawbacks in the current study system, the student said that this reform will result in two cohorts graduating in the same year.
“We are uncertain about how the ministry plans to manage this situation, and this reform is likely to cause more harm than good,” asserted the same source.
The student argued that the Ministry should have prioritized a reform aimed at enhancing the quality of training and the medical profession. Instead, the current changes are viewed as a source of frustration for students.
The decision to officially reduce the duration of medical studies to six years was announced in a memorandum on June 30, 2022, sent to university presidents and directors of regional academies for education and training.
The same memorandum noted that a total of 3489 university seats were allocated for medicine, 435 for pharmacy, and 355 for dentistry for the academic year 2022-2023.
According to the ministry, the reduction in the years of medical education and increasing the number of accepted students aim to achieve a ratio of 46 doctors per ten thousand people by the year 2035.
The ministry’s strategy hinges on transitioning from 2092 graduates annually to 6530 by 2025 and 8770 by 2030, ultimately reaching a cumulative doctor count of 16590 by 2025 and 49650 by 2030.
This strategy seeks to surpass the doctor availability rate set by the World Health Organization, which stands at 25 doctors, by reaching 26 doctors per ten thousand people by 2025.
However, with the current system’s pace, the number of doctors is expected to be 31 per ten thousand people by 2035, a figure lower than that outlined by the development model committee.
It is anticipated that the number of enrollees in the academic year 2027-2028 will reach 11170 students.
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