DUHS graduation: 1,100 students join the medical fraternity

The ceremony, which was delayed by six months, was held amid much fervour at its Ojha Campus.

KARACHI: Amid the beaming parents and equally delighted faculty members, more than 1,100 students of the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) graduated from the institution at the graduation ceremony held at its Ojha Campus on Saturday.

Brimming with confidence at their future prospects and ideals of serving humanity, the students arrived to receive their degrees at the long-awaited convocation ceremony which had been delayed for six months because of the general elections and security concerns in the city.

In the absence of Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, the DUHS vice-chancellor, Prof. Masood Hameed Khan, presided over the ceremony where students, flanked by their teachers, undertook the Hippocratic Oath taking them one step closer to their much coveted dream of joining the medical profession. The graduating batch consisted of students from several medical colleges affiliated with the DUHS such as the Dow Medical College (DMC), Sindh Medical College, Dr Ishratul Ebad Institute of Dental Oral Health Sciences, the Institute of Nursing and others.



The vice chancellor, in his address, highlighted the achievements made by the institution since its establishment nine years ago. Each year, he said, around 1,200 healthcare professionals became part of the medical fraternity after receiving their training from the institution.

“Since 2003, when the DMC was given the status of a university,the enrolment has gone up from a mere 2,500 students to 6,500 students this year,” said Dr Khan.  For post-graduation studies, he added, the enrolment of students had increased from 250 students to around 1,000.

He advised the students to refrain from the malpractices of some members of healthcare services who were giving a bad name to the profession. “Do not fall prey to small and short-term benefits in your career,” he said.

Dr Momina Waqar, who was declared the overall best MBBS graduate, dedicated her feat to the institution and the teachers who served as an encouragement in her efforts to achieve something substantial.

She, however, told The Express Tribune that young medical graduates were usually unaware of the opportunities that lay ahead for them. “Since there are so many ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ involved, once they graduate they question each other, carry out research on their own and do a little bit of inspection about the best options for them and the ways to achieve it,” she said.

For Waqar, there was a dire need of interaction between teachers and students in terms of their future careers and development. “I just wish that we had better counselling options available at our medical institutions,” she said.

“The students should have a rough idea, by the third year of medical schooling, what they wish to do once they graduate  and what they have in mind for post-graduate studies.” The young star wishes to pursue specialisation in cardiology from the United States.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2013.