452 extra seats for medical students this year

LAHORE: During the budget debate for the next fiscal year, the provincial government announced an increase of 452 seats in medical and dental colleges for candidates appearing for their 2010 entrance tests.

Approximately 40,000 candidates are expected to sit for their entrance tests on July 20 and compete for a total of 2,745 seats across the Punjab.

Last year, 23,000 candidates were contending for 2,293 medical seats in King Edward Medical University and nine other public medical colleges. This year KEMU will open its doors to 41 additional candidates by accepting a total of 325 students.

The public relations officer of the University of Health Science (UHS) said that 40,000 study packs including booklets on the 2010 entry tests, syllabus outlines, course outlines and self-assessment tests had been produced by the UHS to guide the candidates. He stated that the admission forms were available free of cost at eleven stations throughout the province.

Dr Malik Hussain Mubashar, the vice chancellor of UHS, told The Express Tribune that the entrance tests would be conducted in a transparent manner and candidates would be able to grade their own papers.

He explained that each candidate would be required to answer questions on a special, preprinted and bar-coded exam sheet.

He added that each page of the answer leaflet would be attached to a carbonised sheet to automatically copy answers onto a second booklet, which the candidate would be allowed to take home.  He added that the UHS would release answers after the examinations to enable students to tally results. Dr Mubashar stated that candidates could obtain the study packs till June 26 and submit their application forms by July 4.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2010.