KARACHI - Fatima Jinnah Dental College organised its 8th White Coat ceremony in which topics including ‘Shortage of Dentists in the Country’ and ‘Lack of awareness of Oral Hygiene’ were greatly highlighted.
Fatima Jinnah Dental College, which inducted its 21st batch of students on Friday, was established in 1992 and is run by the Fatima Jinnah Dental College and Hospital Trust. Among the degrees offered at the institute are Bachelor of Dental Sciences, MS, MPhil and PhD. Speaking on the occasion, Ziauddin University’s Vice Chancellor Dr Pirzada Qasim said that only one dental surgeon was available for over 10,000 people in Pakistan.
Considering the shortage of dentists and surgeons in Pakistan, the government’s health programme can only be successful if doctors are prepared to face the increasing challenges; he said and added that education and health sectors were not included in the priority of the government. Dr Hussain Askari said that development of soft skills, such as communication and updating knowledge through group discussions; along with other social interaction abilities were essential for doctors and academic at the college.
“Since the current education system is not meeting the requirements of medical students, it is left to professional institutions to cover the gap,” he said.
He informed that the college was affiliated with the Karachi University and recognised by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and the post-graduate programmes offered at the institute were approved by the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. The FJDC has produced 1000 dental surgeons since 1992, he added.
Dow Medial University Head of Surgical Dentistry Dr Yawar Ali Abidi said that there was a huge need for oral-heath awareness in the country as habits among masses were leading to higher risk of oral-health problems.
Student Salman Ahmed said that the condition of healthcare facilities in the country was at its lowest level but it also reflects that there was room for growth and opportunities.
Dr Baqar Askari, CEO FJDC, Dr S Tariq Sohail, Dr Tasleem Hosein, Dr Sabiha Mirza, Dr Gulrukh Askari and others also spoke on the occasion. Dr Pirzada Qasim and Dr Baqar Askari distributed shields among position holders and winners of various competitions.
Entry test: University of Karachi will hold entry test for admission in its evening programmes of MBA, BSSE, BSCS, MCS, Applied Physics (Hons) on December 30 (today) at its Faculty of Arts. For guidance of the candidates, the details about their seating arrangement are available on KU website (www.uok.edu.pk). The entry test for MBA, BSSE, BSCS will start at 1000 hours and for MCS and Applied Physics (Hons) will begin at 1400 hours.
The students are advised to bring their original admit cards and Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs).
They are also advised to ensure their presence at the examination centre at least one hour before starting the test paper.