101 doctors become specialists

101 doctors who completed their specialization awarded medals and certificates during the ceremony.

LAHORE: The fourth convocation of the Post Graduate Medical Institute (PGMI) was held on Saturday at the Lahore General Hospital (LGH) and 101 doctors who completed their specialization were awarded medals and certificates during the ceremony.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal was the chief guest, Secretary Health Fawad Hassan Fawad, University of Health Sciences vice chancellor (VC) Malik Hussain Mubbashar, PGMI principal Prof Tariq Salah-ud-Din and a large number of medical professionals and families of graduating doctors participated in the event.

Iqbal said that Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif had taken concrete measures for the promotion of medical education, welfare of the doctors and providing the best medical facilities to the people. “The doors of medical education are now open to the poor but talented students because this government has abolished self finance seats,” he said, adding that the government was providing free treatment at public hospitals.

The Punjab Assembly speaker said that there was no dearth of talent in the Pakistani medical community and PGMI was the prime example of such an institution where high quality medical education was imparted to deserving students. He said that the revolutionary steps taken by the Principal for the development of the institution, better treatment of patients and updating the knowledge of young doctors during the last year were commendable.

Iqbal said that only a healthy society could prosper and face the challenges of the present era. He urged upon the medical community to play an active role in providing quality health care to the people living in urban as well as rural areas.

Principal Prof Tariq Salah-ud-Din said that the PGMI was established in a rented building in 1974 and was now a leading educational institute churning out highly trained and qualified specialists. He said that Lahore General Hospital was also providing quality health care to hundreds of patients through its state-of-the-art emergency centre and operation theatre’s complex. He hoped that the building of Punjab Institute of Neurosciences would soon become functional and said that PHD classes would commence within the coming months in PGMI. “MBBS classes will also be started in the medical college from the next year,” he said.

In his address the health secretary said that the government was spending huge resources for the provision of quality treatment facilities to the people. He said that besides providing free medicines in public sector hospitals.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2011.