Over 1,700 grads celebrate at LUMHS convocation
More than 1,700 students of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences and its Bilawal Medical College for Boys were awarded degrees at the university's 21st and the college's second convocation held on Saturday.
A total of 1,453 undergraduate and 272 postgraduate doctors received degrees, with over half belonging to the MBBS programme and 163 from the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) discipline.
Top academic honours were also announced during the ceremony. Dr Maria Anwar (MBBS batch 2019) re-ceived three gold medals, while Dr Dua Aijaz (MBBS batch 2020) was awarded four. In the dental programme, Dr Ayesha Saleem (2020 batch) received eight gold medals and Dr Rutaba (2021 batch) secured 13 medals. Students from Bilawal Medical College, including Dr Usman Narejo and Dr Hameed Ahmed, were also given gold medals.
Addressing the convocation, Sindh Minister for Universities and Boards Muhammad Ismail Rahoo urged gradu-ates to dedicate themselves to improving the quality of life for the public. He said that even a small act of care by doctors can save lives, while negligence can have severe consequences.
He reiterated the provincial government's commitment to strengthening higher education institutions, noting that the number of public sector universities in Sindh has increased from 11 in 2008 to 27 at present.
Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Ikram Din Ujjan highlighted the university's expansion and reforms, stating that the establishment of Bilawal Medical College has helped address gender imbalance in medical education.
He also described the setting up of Liaquat Institute of Medical and Health Sciences in Thatta as a major step forward in expanding access to medical education.
He said the university is not only producing healthcare professionals but also extending medical services to coastal districts through affiliated facilities. He added that reforms in district hospitals in Dadu and Jamshoro reflect the institution's broader public service role.
Dr Ujjan also pointed to initiatives such as the university's diagnostic and research laboratory network across the province, the Community Health FM radio service, an advanced dental care center in Hyderabad, and the College of Technology as key contributions to healthcare and education.
Graduates from multiple disciplines, including Physiotherapy, Pharmacy, Biomedical Engineering, Nursing, Ra-diologic Technology, Medical Laboratory Technology, Forensic Biology, Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology, and Molecular Biology and Genetics, were also awarded degrees at the ceremony.