LAHORE: The University of Health Sciences (UHS) Syndicate has approved the affiliation of two new medical colleges, a dental college, and 13 nursing colleges, besides an increase in the number of MBBS and BDS seats in ten affiliated medical and dental colleges after a nod by the federal regulator.
The approvals were accorded at the UHS syndicate’s 72nd meeting held under the chairmanship of Vice-Chancellor Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore. It was the first meeting of the UHS syndicate after its reconstitution earlier this month.
Fatima Jinnah Medical University Lahore Vice Chancellor Prof Khalid Masud Gondal, Allama Iqbal Medical College Lahore Principal Prof Nadeem Hafeez Butt, Fatima Jinnah Medical College Lahore Principal Prof Noreen Akmal, former Director General Health, Punjab, Dr Zahid Pervaiz, Professor of Gynecology Dr Maryam Malik, UHS Registrar Profr Nadia Naseem, Prof of Microbiology Dr Sidra Saleem, UHS Nursing department head Prof Samina Kausar and Punjab Specialized Healthcare Department Additional Secretary Ms Shahida Farrukh attended the meeting in person, while Professor of Surgery, Dr Arshad Cheema, The Balochistan Time Editor-in-Chief Muhammad Haider Amin, and Punjab Finance Department’s Additional Secretary Ms Saima Ali participated through a video link.
The two new medical colleges approved by the syndicate for affiliation on the recommendations of the affiliation committee include Akhtar Saeed Medical College, Rawalpindi, and RLKU Medical and Dental College, Lahore. Niazi Medical and Dental College Sargodha has been approved for 50 BDS seats.
Among the nursing colleges, 11 are government-run institutes, while two are from the private sector.
The meeting also approved amendment in regulations pertaining to the validity of M Phil and other on-campus Masters programmes by adopting prescribed timelines for completion of degrees in the Higher Education Commission (HEC) PhD Policy.
The meeting decided that the minimum time for completion of these degrees would be two years and the students who had been stuck in these programmes for the past several years for any reason would be given a few months to complete their research work and degree, after which the enrollment of these students would be canceled.
The meeting decided that the university would issue the admission schedule for MBBS, BDS, BS Nursing, Allied Health Sciences, and other programmes offered on-campus and in the affiliated institutions and no institute would be allowed to make admissions in violation of that schedule.
The members agreed to award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Writing and Journalism to those who would complete the two certificate courses in Medical Editing (CME) and Medical Journalism for Editors (CMJE).
Approval was also accorded to amendments to the regulations pertaining to evaluation of the PhD and MPhil theses to bring them in line with the HEC’s directives, whereby the requirement of a foreign evaluator for the theses at the Master’s degree level was removed to avoid delays in the process. Moreover, approval was given to re-centralise MBBS practical examinations and appoint censors to monitor the assessment process.
The syndicate also gave nod to launch the BS Laboratory Sciences programme on the campus.
With regards to the examinations in the semester system, it was decided that the weightage of internal examination in BS Allied Health Sciences would be 20pc, while the share of university examination would be 80pc, and this policy would be uniformly applicable to the programmes running in the university and its affiliated institutions.
The body nominated Ameer ud Din Medical College, Lahore, Principal Prof Al-Fareed Zafar as the Convener, Board of Studies Medicine, de’Montmorency College of Dentistry, Lahore, Principal Prof Waheed ul Hameed as the Convener, Board of Studies Dentistry, and UHS Allied Health Sciences department’s head Prof Saqib Mahmood as the Convener, Board of Studies Allied Health Sciences. -PR
