Karachi medical colleges MBBS / BDS admisson tests

4,000 take entry test for 760 MBBS, BDS seats
Karachi, Nov 2: Entrance tests for admissions to Dow Medical College (DMC) and Sindh Medical College (SMC) in MBBS and BDS courses were smoothly held on the Ojha campus of the Dow University of Health Sciences on Sunday.

Though elaborate arrangements were made for the test held on the Ojha campus, located near Dr A.Q. Khan Centre in KDA Scheme-33, a chaos-like situation prevailed when the gates of the examination centre were opened simultaneously after the test was over. Thousands of people waiting outside the examination centre tried to wade through a big crowd of candidates coming out of the campus. Many candidates and their parents could not locate each other due to the heavy rush of people for a couple of hours. Adding to their woes was an inadequate deployment of traffic policemen on the route to the examination centre that resulted in a gridlock on the adjacent Suparco Road and the nearby University Road after the test. Vehicular traffic remained stuck up for more than an hour on University Road.

Meanwhile, Sindh Health Minister Dr Saghir Ahmed visited the Ojha campus to inspect arrangements for the entry tests.

Speaking to journalists, he said that admissions to all government medical colleges in the province would be completed within a fortnight and classes would begin between Nov 15 and Nov 20. He said that framing of a new admission policy for medical colleges consumed a lot of time, adding that all-out efforts would be made to make up for lost time.

DUHS vice-chancellor Prof Masood Hameed Khan was also present.

Sources in the DUHS said that results of the admission tests would be uploaded on National Testing Service website: www.nts.org.pk on Monday. They said objections/claims on the initial merit list could be made in person or via email at the DUHS admission cell till Nov 4. Interviews, verification of original documents and the submission of pay orders for final allocation of each category on a merit-cum-choice basis would be held on Nov 8, they added.

Around 4,000 candidates took the tests held under the aegis of the NTS for admissions to DMC and SMC in MBBS and BDS courses.

In all, 660 MBBS seats are available at both the colleges (330 seats each) in different categories, including 456 general merit seats (DMC 228 and SMC 228), 101 seats (DMC 55 and SMC 46) for locals under the University Education Development Programme, 16 seats at the DMC for foreign nationals under the UEDP, eight seats at the DMC for overseas Pakistanis under the UEDP and 32 seats at the SMC under the Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme, two seats (one each at DMC and SMC) for disabled students and 45 seats (DMC 22 and SMC 23) for students from the interior of Sindh.

A board-wise breakdown of the 45 seats to be offered to the students from the interior of Sindh are: 12 seats for Hyderabad board candidates (six each at DMC and SMC), 11 seats for Larkana board candidates (five at DMC and six at SMC), 11 seats for Sukkur board candidates (six at DMC and five at SMC) and 11 seats for Mirpurkhas board candidates (five at DMC and six at SMC).

Of the 100 BDS seats available at the Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan Institute of Oral Health Sciences, 60 will be offered on a merit basis, 34 are reserved for locals and six for overseas Pakistanis under the UEDP.

Student provided paper with missing questions
Larkana: A girl student has accused the organisers of the National Testing Service (NTS) of committing injustice to her during the test for admission to Ist year MBBS in the Chandka Medical College CMC) here on Sunday when they provided her the question book with 21 questions of Biology subject missing. Talking tot journalists at the local press club Ms Paras Shaikh said that just after getting question book number 51907, she pointed out to the invigilator and the coordinator of the NTS to 21 missing questions and pressed for providing her another complete question book.

But, she said, they did not listen to her complaint after which he informed her father Dr Akhlaq Shaikh who arrived at the test centre. Dr Shaikh said he also tried to convey the genuine problem of her daughter to the NTS people but they turned a deaf ear to it.

The matter was brought to the notice of Dr Sikandar Shaikh, the in-charge, admission cell of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Medical University, who asked Ms Paras to contact the university vice chancellor .

The VC intervened and talked to the mangers of NTS. Vice Chancellor Sikandar Shaikh asked the candidate to hand over the question book to the coordinators of the NTS.

However she along with her father, met the director- general health, Professor Sikandar Mughal, the registrar of the university and apprised him of the problem. He assured her of justice. Seeking justice from the authorities Ms Paras (Roll No. 30,014) said that she should not be punished for the mistake she had not committed.

Meanwhile, 2,660 candidates hailing from Dadu, Jacobabad, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Kashmore, Larkana, Shikarpur and Nosheroferoz districts appeared in the test which was conducted amid tight security at Police Training School for admissions to 202 seats.

According to break-up as many as 35 seats have been allocated to Dadu district, 23 to Jacobabad, 29 to Qambar-Shahdadkot, 21 to Kashmore, 32 to Larkana, 28 to Shikarpur and 34 to Naushehro Feroz district.

In Hyderabad, as many as 4,035 students, including 2,500 girls, appeared in the test for admission to 338 seats of MBBS and BDS in the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences. The result of the test can be seen on the university website www.lumhs.edu.pk.

As per allocation of seats to 12 districts falling within the jurisdiction of the LUMHS, 47 seats of MBBS have been allocated to Hyderabad district, 35 each to Benazirabad, Thatta and Badin, 18 to Jamshoro, 16 to Matiari, 14 to Tando Mohammad Khan, 15 to Tando Allahyar, 42 to Sanghar, 31 to Mirpurkhas, 29 to Tharparkar and 21 to Umerkot districts. As many as 101 seats of BDS are available for entire Sindh.

In Sukkur, 246 candidates appeared in test for admission to MBBS in Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College. Dawn

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Ill-equipped lab helps little in criminal investigations
Karachi: The Chemico-Bacteriological Laboratory, commonly known as the office of chemical examiner, seems to be struggling in the medieval ages as it applies most basic techniques without any worthwhile equipment.

Relocated in the backyard of the Services Hospital to facilitate the Dow University of Health Sciences expansion work some time back, the lab is a picture of official neglect and apathy of the government towards the crucial role of forensic science in criminal investigation.

According to international standards, a chemical examiner must have a diploma in medical jurisprudence (pathology), MCPS (forensic medicine), FCPS (forensic medicine) or PhD (forensic medicine/pathology /forensic toxicology) with a minimum five-year medico-legal work experience. However, here in Sindh the posting of a pathologist as chemical examiner is rare, let alone the other qualifications, an expert pointed out.

A chemical laboratory is mainly provided with preserved viscera, body fluids, drugs and other biological samples to determine the presence or absence of toxic substances and their metabolites and to evaluate their role as the determinant or a contributory factor in the cause and manner of death or a suspected case of poisoning, according to Dr Shafi M. Nizamani, an associate professor of forensic medicine at the University Technology Mara, Malaysia.

Some of the major equipment a chemical lab should possess include gas chromatography, mass spectrometer, inductive coupled plasma (ICP), gas liquid chromatography (GLC), high performance thin layer chromatography, Fourier-trace metal analyzer, breath analyzer, ion chromatography, pressured solvent extraction, Volta metric trace metal analyzer, UV-visible spectrometer, atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) and real time PCR for DNA.

Last but not the least, computers with forensic software should be part of the chemical lab, the associate professor added.

However, Chemical Examiner Dr Fazal Ellahi Memon says that the lab he heads doesn't have any of the aforementioned equipment. "We follow the basic methods of chemical reaction or colour change to obtain the results," Dr Memon said, adding that they test 17 to 18 common poison groups.

There are several subsections of a lab including (a) narcotics: identification and analysis of dangerous drugs such as heroin, cannabis, opium and psychotropic drugs and amphetamine type stimulants; (b) serology: conventional serological examination; and (c) toxicology: human and animal poisoning, alcohol analysis in blood and urine, and drugs in body fluids.

The chemical examiner said that a PC-1 for upgrading the chemical lab has been sent to the authorities. However, he declined to share the salient features of the PC-1, saying that he was not supposed to discuss such things.

The lab annually receives 70,000 to 80,000 different articles for testing from across Sindh, including Karachi, as well as from Balochistan. 'Charas' forms the bulk of articles that are deposited at the lab for testing, according to him. Dawn

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KU BA practical exams
Karachi: The Controller of Examination, University of Karachi has announced that the practical exams of Social Work for the Supplementary Examinations-2008 of BA (Pass) First and Second Year will be held on November 7 and 11, 2009 respectively at 11:00 am at the Department of Social Work. The concerned candidates are required to report to the Chairperson, Department of Social Work, KU, for appearing in the practical exams. Candidates are advised to bring their Admit Cards and Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) etc at the centre, according to a press statement issued here on Sunday. The news

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KU scientist nominated ECNCST member
Karachi: A scientist of the Karachi University, Prof Dr Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, who is the Director of the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), has been nominated as a member of the Executive Committee of the National Commission for Science and Technology (ECNCST) for two years. An ICCBS announcement here on Sunday said the national commission comprises around 26 members. It said that the prime minister chairs the national commission.

The ICCBS statement said the main objective of the commission is to ensure proper linkages of science and technology effort with the production sector and development plans, while other is to promote science and technology in the country, including funding for research and development and infrastructure. app

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SZIC issued admission schedule
Karachi: The Shaikh Zayed Islamic Centre (SZIC) of the University of Karachi (KU) has issued the schedule for admissions to the new academic session. An announcement of the centre said that an admission committee had been constituted. Admissions would be offered for BS, Diploma Course as well as MA classes.

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PMC to get status of university, says minister
Nawabshah: Provincial Health Minister Dr Saghir Ahmed has said that the People's Medical College for Girls would be upgraded to a women medical university and a summary in this regard had been approved.

Addressing the 10th annual convocation of the college, he said a bill would be tabled in the coming session of the Sindh Assembly following which the college would get the status of a university.

Vice Chancellor of the Liaquat Medical University of Health Sciences Prof Dr Noshad Ahmed Shaikh and Health Secretary Hashim Raza Zaidi were the guests of honour. Earlier, PMC Principal Prof Azam Hussain Yousifani pointed out the shortage of senior teaching staff, including professors, associate professors, assistant professors and senior registrars.Dr Saghir later distributed graduation certificates among 260 doctors while 36 graduates were decorated with gold and silver medals for their outstanding performance. The news

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Action against schools
Karachi: The Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) has withdrawn recognition of two educational institutions - Al-Shams School and College System (a higher secondary school) and Grace Grammar School.

The principals of the two institutions located in Gulshan-i-Hadeed have been informed of the action by the BSEK secretary through separate letters. The decision has been taken in the light of a report submitted by a committee set up by the board to decide cases of unfair means in the examinations 2009. The committee also recommended that the board should not recognise these schools in future, said the letters. Dawn

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