PHOTO: APP
PESHAWAR: Minister for Health Shahram Khan Tarakai said the government has been utilising all its resources to provide health facilities to the public at their doorsteps and will now offer incentives and packages for doctors as well. He said this in his speech at the golden jubilee celebration of Khyber College of Dentistry (KCD) on Saturday.
Tarakai added the government was prepared to announce incentives and attractive packages for doctors to be posted in peripheral hospitals since those areas need health experts more than the provincial capital does.
“We must reach people before they reach cities and seek medical assistance,” said Tarakai.
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He also said the government was ready to fulfill all requirements for KCD, adding, doctors must also extend their support to patients. Tarakai urged doctors and medical students to support the MTI Reforms Act 2015 since it will bring revolutionary changes to the health sector.
Later, he awarded gold medals to positions holders.
Matter of pride
Earlier, KCD Principal Professor Dr Ghulam Rasool informed the college was playing a vital role in the field of dentistry. He said KCD was the only dental college that published its own journal and over 30% of the army dental core had graduated from the college. He also requested the minister to extend dental specialty to district headquarters hospitals.
Khyber Medical University Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Hafizullah also spoke on the occasion and congratulated KCD for completing 50 years. He termed the celebration, “the beginning of a new journey for community service, academics and research.”
The backdrop
KCD was established in 1964 after Montmorency College of Dentistry Lahore former principal late Dr Hassan Raza Shah floated the idea that was accepted, appreciated and very much encouraged by Khyber Medical College former principal General Muhammad Akram and University of Peshawar former vice chancellor Muhammad Ali. The Department of Dentistry was formally declared open by the then Minister for Health Begum Mahmuda Salim on October 12, 1964. Professor Dr Ahmad Iqbal was the founding chairman of the department.
The department of dentistry was housed in two rooms on the first floor of pathology block of KMC. Besides the head of the department, four teachers and 14 students were inducted into its first batch. The students had to travel 15 kilometres to Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar for their training in general medicine and surgery.
The first batch graduated in 1968 when Pakistan Medical and Dental Council accorded permanent recognition to Bachelor’s of Dental Surgery degree in its session held in Dacca, the capital of the then East Pakistan in November 1968.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 6th, 2015.
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