University of Health Sciences MCAT results 2009

University of Health Sciences declared results of MCAT 2009
Lahore, Oct 5: The University of Health Sciences has announced the result of the Medical Colleges Admission Test (MCAT) 2009 for candidates seeking admission to medical and dental institutions in Punjab. The tests took place on September 27 and 20,228 students sat for the exam. A total of 14,981 candidates could pass the MCAT, showing a pass percentage of 74.06 percent. Waqas Ali, son of Ghulam Rasul, roll number 0517973 topped the entrance test scoring 1,066 out of 1,100 marks.Tahreem Munir, daughter of Munir Ahmed Bhatti, roll number 1033616 from Sargodha scored 1,058 out of 1,100 marks. Ammar Arshad, son of Arshad Pervaiz of Lahore, roll number 0518233 got 1,052 marks and stood third in the test.

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150 years of King Edward Medical University
Lahore: Next year, King Edward Medical University, formerly King Edward Medical College and before that the Lahore Medical School and College, will turn 150 years old. King Edward Medical University is still referred to as KE, as was the college before it. And those that graduated from KE are called Kemcolians, a term still in vogue even though KEMC is now KEMU.

For us Kemcolians, Mayo Hospital, the major teaching hospital attached to KE, is an essential part of our KE experience and most of us have nostalgic associations with that hospital where as students and then as house officers we were introduced to the craft of medicine. As such, an added bonus of the birthday celebrations for KE is the expected commissioning of the Surgical Tower and the complete restoration of the original building of the Mayo Hospital itself.

The Surgical Tower leaves me unmoved as far as aesthetics are concerned even though it is expected to provide upgraded facilities for patients. But the planned 'complete' restoration of the main building is something that does excite me. And I am extremely indebted to the Chief Minister of the Punjab as are almost all Kemcolians for taking this decision.

The main building of Mayo Hospital is almost a hundred and forty years old. It is a national treasure and an architectural gem, and if it is indeed restored to anything similar to what it originally was, that alone will make the celebration of KE's birthday worth it as far as I am concerned.

Kemcolians from different generations as well as from all over the world will participate in the celebrations and for most of them a restored Mayo Hospital will be a matter of great pride as well as burnish the fond memories so many of them have of this great hospital.

I know that the Government of Punjab wants these projects to be completed urgently and the target dates for completion are indeed in the year 2010, though perhaps not for the reason I have mentioned above. But, and sadly there is often a 'but' in such discussions, the way things are proceeding right now, it is extremely unlikely that the Mayo renovations or the commissioning of the Surgical Tower will be possible next year.

The reason for my pessimism is the slow pace of work and the report that much of the money allocated for the restoration project during the last fiscal year has already lapsed. Worse, it seems that instead of a single individual being responsible or being in charge, a committee makes all decisions.

I do realise that the projects involved are expensive and therefore fiscal oversight is absolutely essential. But the way to get things done is to make a single person responsible, give that person all the authority and the autonomy needed to accomplish the task as laid out, set down timelines and then make sure that those deadlines are met.

The person in charge must obviously be somebody who actually is also running Mayo Hospital and as such is aware of all the complexities involved. The renovations will require considerable dislocation of services and the Surgical Tower must also be made functional before the renovation of the old building is completed. After all the patient care aspect of the hospital cannot be halted or jeopardised during renovations.

I am sure that the Government of Punjab has only the best of intentions, but I do also wonder if the committee responsible for the renovation has the expertise to oversee such an important project. Its members are the usual bureaucrats, politicians and physicians with political connections, but does it include major architects and international experts that have experience in renovating historical buildings, especially hospitals?

The chance to renovate Mayo Hospital is a once in a lifetime opportunity. As the old adage goes, anything worth doing is worth doing well. Having seen some of the work done around Lahore over the last few years, I am a bid leery of the quality of work that is done under 'official' supervision. And if the renovations start falling apart in a few years that will only bring a bad name to the present government.

The renovation of Mayo Hospital must be a labour of love and not just another works project. Not only must the end product be patient friendly, it must also provide historical authenticity as well as adherence to architectural details of the original plans.

The way things stand, it seems that the old building or the Surgical Tower will not be ready any time soon. And it would indeed be a shame if next year when a whole bunch of Kemcolians descend upon the University and the Mayo Hospital, things are in a shambles with just perhaps the facades up and ready and nothing much else.

Here I want to make it clear that even though for me the renovation of Mayo Hospital is a matter of great personal interest, I also believe strongly that as the largest hospital in the country providing care to the poorest of the poor patients, it should provide such care in a neat and hospitable environment.

Frankly I hope that my pessimism about the delays in renovating the Mayo Hospital is entirely misplaced and things will actually happen with great dispatch. And if indeed they do, it will be a legacy of the present government that just might outlast much of what else it accomplishes during its tenure. The Mayo Hospital has been around for a hundred and forty years and will still be around even after most of us are long gone.

And indeed, it is also time to concentrate on the upcoming one-fiftieth birthday of KE and make it something worth all the memories of all the Kemcolians, past and present. - Syed Mansoor Hussain

Syed Mansoor Hussain has practised and taught medicine in the US. smhmbbs70@yahoo.com (Daily times)

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Taseer seeks US assistance in education sector
Lahore: Political Consular of American Embassy in Pakistan Bryan D Hunt along with the Political Officer of US Consulate, Lahore Richard Jao held a meeting with Governor Punjab Salman Taseer at Governor House on Sunday and discussed the increased US cooperation to develop education and economy sectors of Pakistan.

Salman Taseer Governor said that in our educational institutions there was no concept of extremism, sectarianism and narrow mindedness. He requested the US to assist various projects of our universities in order to improve the standard of higher education as well as the infrastructure. He also told the guests that more than 56 per cent female students were among the total students studying in different public universities of the Punjab.

The governor while discussing the political scenario of Pakistan said coalition govt in centre and all other provinces was giving an attractive picture of democracy in the country whereas in the past victory of one political party used to be a disaster for the opponent parties. The governor hailed the role of President Asif Zardari who himself went to all political parties and invited them to support the government under policy of reconciliation initiated by the late PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

The governor further said that the President gave Chief Ministership to PML-N in Punjab and ANP in NWFP while added MQM into the coalition according to their mandate in Sindh Province. He said the opposition parties did not face the traditional vengeance and rivalries from the govt side while they were given development funds at par with the parliamentarians from ruling party.

Political Consular of American Embassy in Pakistan Bryan D Hunt pledged maximum support from US government to promote education as well as infrastructure of the universities in Pakistan. He appreciated the increase in the enrolment of the female students in universities. The nation

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