Some 350 students of batches 2009-2012 were conferred degrees in the disciplines of MBBS and BDS at the 4th convocation of Karachi Medical & Dental College (KMDC) held here on Tuesday. High achievers were also awarded gold medals for their best performances in their subjects.
Addressing the convocation as chief guest, Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad felicitated the pass out graduates of all four batches of KMDC, saying that KMDC was a unique institution in many ways as it was the only public sector medical college in the country being run by a municipal administration. He said that KMDC graduates were showing high performance in medical field. He approved Rs 100 million grant for development work in KMDC.
"I have approved all demands put forwarded to me by Principle KMDC Professor Waqar Hussain Kazmi including establishment of state of the art IT lab, phase 3 complex building for KMDC where lecture halls and auditorium would be established with much increased seating arrangements for students" Dr Ishrat said. He said that like Dow Medical College (DMC) the KMDC would also be elevated to university and in this regard a bill has also been drafted which would be tabled in Sindh Assembly.
Sindh Minister for Health Dr Sagheer Ahmed said that the merit was the only criteria for admission in KMDC. "Because candidates are admitted on the basis of merit only, the results of the college are exemplary," he added Dr Sagheer said: " Today's gradates are exposed to newer challenges and threats, that endanger public health in general .Therefore, the doctors needed to be equipped with health management skills at all levels of their training to cope with the demands emerging in our society."
In his welcome address Professor Waqar Hussain Kazmi shared the achievements of college, saying that KMDC came into existence on the November 27, 1991. He said the college became the first public sector Dental College in Karachi, and the first Medical College in the country that introduced merit-based admission test as the criteria for admission. He said that college would soon be upgraded to the university "This college is a unique example of a medical college run by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, nowhere in the country a metropolitan corporation is running medical college," he added.
He noted that the dental college was an even bigger necessity as before KMDC students would have to go to Jamshoro, Hyderabad for dental education. He said that the college started with 50 MBBS seats and 10 BDS seats. The college has now has 250 MBBS seats and 100 BDS seats. Muhammad Hussain Syed Administrator KMC and Chairman Governing Body, KMDC, Vice Chancellor University of Karachi also spoke.