Survival of the fittest: Admissions for 1,700 medical seats start from September 10

Iqbal Durrani says that students will be able to get their application forms from Sept 3.

KARACHI: The process of admissions to 1,700 seats spread across six medical colleges and universities in the province will start from September 10, The Express Tribune learnt on Thursday.

Sindh health secretary Iqbal Hussain Durrani confirmed that the students will be able to get their application forms for admissions from September 3, which they could submit, along with all the necessary documents, till September 30. The eligible candidates will then take the entrance test, which will be conducted simultaneously at five examination centres, including Karachi, on October 10.



“We do not see any reason for the delay except if the Intermediate examination boards across the province delay the results of pre-medical students,” said Dr Umar Farooq, the pro-vice chancellor of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS). “All the arrangements and deadlines will be in accordance with the earlier meeting that was held back in April to devise a uniform admissions policy for the next academic session, starting from November 1,” he explained.

Apart from Dr Farooq, the meeting chaired by Durrani was attended by the heads of all six public-sector medical colleges and universities, including Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), Jamshoro, vice-chancellor (VC) Prof Munir Ahmed Junejo, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU), Larkana, VC Prof Ghulam Asghar Channa, Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences, Benazirabad, VC Prof Azam Hussain Yousfani, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, VC Prof Tariq Rafi, and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College, Lyari, principal Prof Anjum Rehman.

Except for the medical college in Lyari that will separately announce its admissions based on district-wise quotas, the admissions to all other institutions will be done on a single application form, giving the candidates choice to get into one of the five institutions according to their performance in the entrance test and past academic records, explained Durrani.

Apart from the 100 admission seats at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Medical College, Lyari, nearly 350 successful applicants will be admitted at the DUHS and Jinnah Sindh Medical University each, while 350 successful candidates each will be admitted to LUMHS and SMBBMU.

Meanwhile, 200 successful applicants will be given admissions at the Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences in Benazirabad.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2014.