Hosneara Parvin Khuku, Khulna

Five years after its establishment in 2021, Khulna Medical University (KMU) is set to begin its academic activities, marking a major milestone toward establishing a full-fledged medical university for the country’s southern region.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Rafiqus Salehin announced that admissions for master’s degree programmes are expected to start next January following preparation.

The move follows administrative approval granted by the Health Services Division under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (GO issued on August 12, 2026, Memo No. 45.00.0000.000.160.91.0003.26-868) allowing KMU to use Khulna Specialized Hospital as its campus for medical, academic, research and administrative functions.

Key Developments & Highlights:

• Academic Launch: Master’s degree admissions targeted for January 2027.
• Temporary Setup: Administrative, research, and teaching activities will run out of Khulna Specialized Hospital to prevent further delay in higher medical education.
• Permanent Campus Master Plan: Land acquisition for Phase 1 is underway to build a 1,000-bed hospital, specialized oncology unit, and comprehensive campus.
• Faculty & Advanced Care: Existing senior professors at Khulna Specialized Hospital will support teaching, alongside plans for specialized services like open-heart surgery, kidney dialysis, affordable cancer treatment, and an independent robotic surgery unit.

Since 2021, the university operated without a campus of its own, temporarily running administrative operations with 36 staff from a rented building in Khulna’s Nirala area.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Rafiqus Salehin stated that postgraduate programmes require limited class sizes compared to undergraduate MBBS courses, making existing facilities and specialized faculty at Khulna Specialized Hospital fully adequate to begin operations.

Local leaders noted that initiating academic and advanced clinical programs will ease healthcare bottlenecks for patients across 21 southern districts while bringing specialized medical procedures within reach of low-income communities.