Academic activities at Noakhali Medical College have been severely hampered due to a shortage of teachers and poor infrastructure.

The college was established in 2008 to expand medical education in the greater Noakhali region (Feni, Lakshmipur and Noakhali), starting with 50 students in a few rooms of the 250-bed Noakhali General Hospital.

In 2012, academic and administrative activities were shifted to its permanent campus in Mirwarishpur of Begumganj.

Seventeen years on, the college is still struggling with significant challenges. At present, there is not a single teacher in the anatomy department, while other departments also face acute shortages.

Hostel conditions and campus security have also drawn criticism. Students reported broken toilet and bathroom doors, water shortages, and unsafe surroundings. "There is a crisis of accommodation and security in the female hostel. There are not enough rooms, and sometimes there is no water," said Farhana Haque, a 4th-year student.

Another student, Miskat Smaranika Meem, said rainwater leaks through the roof during monsoon.

The college now has 440 students, with around 100 admitted each year. However, there are not enough classrooms, no modern auditorium, no well-stocked library, and laboratories lack adequate facilities.

The college does not have its own hospital or nursing institute, forcing students to travel 12 kilometres to Noakhali General Hospital for practical learning.

Principal Dr Aminur Rahman said, "Construction of buildings to solve the student housing crisis is underway. We are also working to recruit new teachers."

Ashraf Uddin, executive engineer of Public Works Department in Noakhali, said a tender has been invited for constructing a 500-bed hospital and nursing institute on the college campus at a cost of Tk 254 crore.