LUMHS confers degrees to 800 students

HYDERABAD:

Over 800 students of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (Lumhs), Jamshoro, were conferred their academic degrees at its 14th annual convocation ceremony on Saturday. The graduates included 363 MBBS students, 92 Bachelor’s of Dental Surgery students, 41 postgraduate, 41 PG Physiotherapy and 271 nursing candidates.

MBBS graduate Muhammad Yassar Khyber and Nepali national Sobiya Parveen, from the BDS programme were given eight and nine gold medals, respectively. The top three positions in the MBBS were clinched by Khyber (first), Rahat Ahmen Memon (second), Ambreen Qureshi (third) and Zohaib Ahmed (third). In the BDS faculty, Parveen secured first position, Lamatun Noor stood second, while Najmul Sehar and Esha Qurban shared the third slot.

"Despite a lack of resources, the medical profession is showing a steady growth. The Lumhs has been playing a big part towards this progress," observed Dr Asim Hussain, the head of the provincial higher education commission. He urged the students to realise their responsibility of contributing towards improvement in the country's health system.

Sindh health secretary Dr Iftikhar Shalwani, referring to the female students who sometimes leave the medical profession after completing their education, urged them to pursue other studies. "Instead of medicine, they should opt for other educational programnes because there are very limited health institutions with limited seats. Only those young people should join this profession who are willing to serve."

Speaking to the media after the ceremony, Parveen said she will pursue higher studies in oral and maxillofacial surgery and practice in her own country, Nepal. The MBBS topper Khyber, meanwhile, wants to specialise in neurosurgery. "My mother is suffering from neurological problems. But we can't find a good doctor in our city [Matiari district]."

Lumhs offers merit-based admissions to the students of 12 districts of Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas divisions on the basis of their domicile districts. However, it has been noticed from a long time that after graduation, most of the doctors prefer to practice in Karachi or Hyderabad instead of their hometowns.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2015.