The health ministry has proposed holding a special BCS exam to recruit 2,000 doctors, alongside the ongoing hiring of around 3,500 others through three BCS exams.

On Sunday, the ministry wrote to the public administration ministry, requesting the special BCS to expedite recruitment.

On March 4, the advisory council approved the hiring of 2,000 additional doctors to strengthen healthcare services, particularly in rural areas.

Prof Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser for the health ministry, said yesterday that the recruitment process for 3,463 doctors is already underway -- 450 under the 45th BCS, 1,682 under the 46th BCS, and 1,331 under the 47th BCS.

On March 9, the ministry again wrote to the public administration ministry, urging the swift arrangement of a special BCS.

Additionally, Prof Sayedur said the ministry has proposed increasing the entry age for the BCS health cadre to 34 years. Previously set at 32—compared to 30 for other cadres—to account for the five-year MBBS degree and one-year internship, the age limit was not raised when all other cadres' limits were increased to 32. To address this, a proposal was sent on 5 March.

He also said the ministry will issue a circular regarding the 'doctor' title once it receives the High Court's full verdict, which ruled that only MBBS and BDS degree holders can use the title. A committee will be formed to decide what prefix medical assistants can use.

The verdict, delivered on Wednesday in response to a writ petition, followed protests by intern doctors and medical students.

Although they issued a joint statement on Wednesday withdrawing their work abstention and academic shutdown, some students and interns are still continuing their protests, Prof Sayedur said. He urged them to call off demonstrations, assuring them that their concerns are being addressed.

Additionally, the ministry has taken action against substandard Medical Assistant Training Schools (MATS) and formed a committee to review their curriculum.

Prof Sayedur added that discussions will be held with private hospital owners to establish a minimum wage for doctors working in private healthcare facilities.