Liaquat National Hospital confers degrees upon 188 MBBS students

Students received medals for acquiring first, second and third positions

KARACHI: A total of 188 MBBS students of the classes of 2017 and 2018 graduated at the sixth convocation ceremony of Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College (LNH&MC), held at the varsity's ground on Sunday.

At the ceremony, Karachi University (KU) Vice-Chancellor Dr Khalid Maqbool Iraqi awarded degrees to the fresh graduates, of whom 96 belonged to the batch of 2017 and 92 constituted the 2018 batch. He also awarded medals to outstanding students, who had acquired first, second and third positions in their respective batches. Additionally, one student from each batch was awarded a 'Best Graduate' medal for overall exemplary performance.

From the batch of 2017, Usman Zafar attained the first position, Fizza Zulfiqar acquired the second position and Muhammad Muzamil Shakil was awarded a medal for attaining third position. Zulfiqar was also awarded the medal for being the best graduate in her batch. From the batch of 2018, Maliha Raza was awarded the medal for acquiring first position, Sharmeen Ibrahim attained second position and Rabie Hanif and Dania shared the spot for third position. Ibrahim received the medal for being the best graduate in her batch.

Addressing the ceremony, LNH&MC Principal Dr Karimullah Makki welcomed the guests and congratulated the graduates. He said that LNH&MC was one of the first choices of aspiring medical students, which is indicative of the varsity's high teaching standards. In his speech, he stressed the importance of hard work and dedication.

"Being a doctor means working 24 hours a day," he said, adding that the job demands dedication towards serving humanity.

LNH&MC Medical Director Dr Salman Faridi also spoke on the occasion. He said that the nation was going through difficult times and as young doctors, the graduates had two choices. "Either you blame the fate or find the silver lining in the cloud," he said. "Change your life to make it more meaningful and seek joy in serving humanity. Success is not only about making money and becoming rich, but also attaining inner satisfaction."

In his address, Dr Faridi also asked the graduates to continue to update their knowledge, as in most countries, particularly in the West, degrees and licences were required to be renewed after every five to 10 years.

Lastly, he asked the graduates to uphold their integrity as doctors. "Integrity is pivotal to your profession," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Iraqi congratulated the graduates, parents and teachers, and specifically addressing the students he said, "This is not the end but the beginning of the learning process." A new theory or a new research emerges every day and professionals need to invest time in updating their knowledge, he said. Dr Iraqi also asked the students to serve Pakistan and humanity.

"Doctors can contribute towards nation building," he said, while stressing that the graduating students play their role in the progress of Pakistan.

Parents ans faculty members of LNH&MC attended the ceremony. KU's dean of Faculty of Medicine, Dr Nargis Anjum, was also present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2019.