A noble profession: I would not have been a doctor had there been no merit-based admissions: Dr Adib Rizvi

SIUT director stresses need for merit-based admissions at CPSP convocation

KARACHI: Prof Adibul Hasan Rizvi, founder of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, would not have become a doctor had there been no medical colleges with nominal fee and merit-based admissions.

Stressing the need for similar standards today, Dr Rizvi addressed on Thursday evening the 50th convocation of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan (CPSP) as the chief guest.

The graduating Fellows of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (FCPS) and Members of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (MCPS) were gathered at the CPSP lawns when Dr Rizvi talked about how much the system has changed in the past few decades and admissions, which used to be given only on merit, are now being granted on ‘self-finance’. “I only became a doctor because in our times, there was merit and nothing such as self-finance was there,” he said.

Encouraging the 106 MCPS and 471 FCPS doctors entering as specialists in 15 fellowship and 46 specialist programmes, Dr Rizvi said that stepping in this field is not a bed of roses and one should also keep an eye on the problems coming in with the degree. “You have to struggle and it is not necessary that everyone will get a good job,” he said. “Sometimes, one has to do odd jobs, too.” He added that one should not follow the herd but should make their name for innovation in the field.

According to Dr Rizvi, doctors are students forever and that he does not feel ashamed to learn how to do particular kind of surgery from one of his juniors who have graduated from CPSP. “Doctors have to learn as long as they are in the field because medicines get updated every other day,” he said, adding that it is the era of genetic engineering and cloning, and doctors should be prepared for everything.

CPSP president Prof Zafarullah Chaudhry said that the number of applicants in FCPS is increasing every year and the graduating specialists from CPSP constitute 95 per cent of the specialist manpower of the country.

Commenting on the shortage of doctors and specialists in the country, CPSP vice-president Prof Khalid Masood Gondal claimed that the institute is helping increase the number of specialists. “More than 18,000 fellows have been added to the country till 2015 [since the establishment of CPSP],” he told The Express Tribune.

The gold medalist

Meanwhile, the recipient of the only gold medal of the evening, called the ‘Rashid Latif gold medal’, Dr Mehreen Khalil Qureshi, graduated as FCPS in obstetrics and gynaecology. “I did not have any other option than studying hard and making this day happen in my life,” she said. She cleared all her exams in one attempt. Her husband was also graduating along with her at the same convocation while their two-year-old son was also present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2016.