As many as 36,098 candidates (11,110 male and 24,988 female) appeared for medical and dental colleges' entrance test which was conducted by the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore, simultaneously in 12 cities of the Punjab province, amid tight security, on Sunday.
The test was conducted at 20 centres set up in Lahore, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan, Rawalpindi and Hassan Abdal. All the centres were locked at 0815 hrs sharp and no one was allowed to enter after that.
Foolproof security arrangements were made on the occasion. A large number of police personnel were deployed at the centres to prevent any disruption in the test. Bomb disposal squads and fire brigades were also made available at the centres to counter any untoward incident. Besides, close circuit TV (CCTV) cameras, cellphone jammers and walk-through gates were installed at all the centres. There were proper arrangements for the disabled students, parking and waiting area facilities for the parents of the candidates. Back-up power generators were also provided at all centres.
While talking to reporters, UHS Vice Chancellor Professor I A Naveed said that highly scientific and sophisticated method had been adopted to maintain the secrecy of the examination papers and whole process of the test. He made it clear once again that admission in medical colleges would be purely on merit.
The candidates and parents expressed their satisfaction on the arrangement made by UHS and the provincial government. No untoward incident was reported during the course of the test.