" LARKANA, July 16: Keeping aside all objections and reservations raised by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), the management of the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SBBMU) on Tuesday started evening MBBS classes at the Chandka Medical College. Till July 10, the SMBBMU had been replying to the letters written by the statuary and registration body for medical and dental education, the PMDC, about regulations, bylaws and orders of the apex court regarding establishing an evening medical college but after the said date the university stopped responding to the letters. There were a total of 100 seats out of which 75 were for open merit and 25 on a self-finance basis. The maiden batch comprises of 68 students filtered and selected through the National Testing Service. Around 65 students are on open merit and three are on a self-finance basis. Thirty-five students out of the total 68 turned up on the first day of evening college on Tuesday. The maiden lecture was delivered by the chief of biochemistry department, Prof Zaffar Pirzado. However, SMBBMU vice chancellor Prof Akbar Haidar Soomro and CMC principal Prof Asadulah Mahar were conspicuous by their absence. Talking to Dawn, evening programme coordinator Prof Abdul Rasheed Shaikh said that it was a good omen and an encouraging step to train more doctors for the future. “We have told students to only focus on their studies and not worry about PMDC-related issues which would be resolved with the passage of time,” he said. Dr Shaikh said that the PMDC would eventually come around and recognise the evening programme, citing the example of the Chandka Medical College which got recognition after five years when its first batch was graduating. He said that the university had fulfilled all requirements of the PMDC and was ready for its customary inspection. He said that evening classes at the Chandka Medical College would provide a chance for talented students in Sindh to become doctors. Talking to journalists after their first day, students Maha Sheeba and Ihsanullah Bijarani expressed their happiness over being selected for the programme. They hoped that the stand-off between SMBBMU and the PMDC would be resolved soon."
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 11:31:33 +0000