Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said he expects formal student admissions at Thakurgaon Medical College to begin from 2027. He said the main work to establish the proposed medical college would start very soon. Fakhrul made the remarks on Sunday morning while inaugurating an eye camp supported by the Nepal government at Thakurgaon Diabetic and Health Care Hospital.

The minister said the government is working to bring modern healthcare to the doorsteps of ordinary and marginalised people across every region. He said establishing the medical college would facilitate the training of skilled doctors locally, create new employment opportunities in the health sector and expand access to medical services for people in the area. He also expressed hope that it would help ensure better treatment and reduce patients’ dependence on Dhaka.

Fakhrul said Thakurgaon’s 250-bed general hospital has already been upgraded to 600 beds to improve local healthcare standards. He said the eye camp was arranged through bilateral discussions with Nepal’s government to provide improved examination and treatment for eye patients. Authorities will discuss and decide how to gradually expand such eye camps to every upazila in the district.