rawalpindi - The 12th convocation of the Rawalpindi Medical University was held on Saturday at the Latif Auditorium of the university’s Tipu Road Campus.

During the convocation, as many as 317 graduates (males and females) were conferred MBBS degrees, gold medals and awards of the session 2014 and 2015, who passed the examination under the umbrella of University of Health Sciences, Lahore, from the then Rawalpindi Medical College.

On the occasion, Federal Minister for Health Aamir Mehmood Kiani was the chief guest while Secretary Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department Saqib Zafar, Vice-Chancellor (VC) University of Health Sciences Prof Dr Javed Akram, VC RMU Prof Dr Muhammad Umar, Prof Jahangir Sarwar, Dr Zahid Minhas, Dr Gohar Rashid and others also attended the ceremony as distinguished guests.

Addressing the convocation, Federal Minister Aamir Mehmood Kiyani said felicitated the medical graduates. He said the former governments didn’t give priority to the health sector where only 0.9 per cent of GDP was spent in this sector. Despite many good attributes of RMU, it was a fact that young doctors serving in the three teaching schools were in trouble as there were no proper facilities for them, he said.

He said the incumbent government had revamped Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and a new board of doctors was in the process of formation which will amicably look after the matters. “We have also revamped DRAP to improve pharmaceuticals,” he said. He said the PTI government would also provide insurance to the doctors and will increase young doctors’ remuneration

“It is pathetic to know that young doctors were not getting their house job allowance which the supreme court in its rulings has directed the medical universities to pay the allowance of their graduates for one year which was propitious,” he lamented.

He said he thanked the former CJP for retrieving the encroached land of Islamabad’s existing hospitals whereas three mega hospitals would be built on that land.

However vertical buildings would be constructed in the existing hospitals of Islamabad.

He said that it has been noticed that nurses were less in number as compared to doctors in the hospitals, therefore a Nursing University of worth Rs10 billion is in the pipeline to make up with the shortfall.

“We are going to increase the health budget,” he said.

He said PM Imran Khan after saying goodbye to cricket focussed on making Shaukat Khanam hospital so he better knows what is the impact of health over the economy and therefore he is passionate about improving the health sector.

“The smoking tax has been proposed to the PM which is around 30-35 billion rupees which will be spent in the health sector,” the minister said. He said the former government was paying 2000 billion rupees interest per annum over loans which if spent on human development then 25 million children would not have been out of school.

Earlier, VC RMU Prof Dr Muhammad Umar, in his welcome address, said it is indeed the moment of a lifetime to see our so many successful students who have proved their worth in the field of medical science by their dedicated efforts and commitment. He said our students due to their efforts and the keen interest in research and learning the new technologies coupled with the training programs that are established keeping in mind the needs of the future, have excelled in their fields not only in Pakistan but abroad as well making all the RMU proud of them.

He added that the Rawalpindi Medical University is all set to prove itself as one of the top ranking universities of not only Pakistan but the world. The RMU is focused to emerge as a research-intense university, inculcating the culture of research and evidence-based medicine, and for this, all efforts are being made to ensure that the students of the RMU don’t get trained as just physicians but groomed as medical scientists.

He informed that the university has in record time developed its indigenous integrated modular curriculum, based on the current practices in the developed world to prepare its students for the future challenges, which has already been implemented for the 1st & 2nd Year of MBBS training at the RMU. He added that the Rawalpindi Medical University has also expanded its horizon to the post-graduate degree programs like M.Phil, M.S., M.D. and the initiation of PhD programs is also in the pipeline. For the monitoring of the professional training of the students, the university has established its University Residency Training & Monitoring Cell (URTMC) which is working on the lines of 360-degree evaluation of the students to ensure the quality of training at RMU.

He further added he grateful to the government for its constant support in helping to develop the RMU and Allied Hospitals as the centres of excellence for not only quality medical education but also as hubs of healthcare for the masses, enabling us to serve our ailing population in a better way.

In the end, 20 gold medals for high achievers in the university examinations conducted by the University of Health Sciences while 7 gold medals were distributed among the students who had shown outstanding performance in the subjects of Medicine, Surgery and Gynaecology.

The gold medals were distributed by the Aamir Mehmood Kiani, the federal minister for health.

Apart from the gold medals, the students were also awarded certificates of achievement for distinctions in exams. The distinction certificates and the degrees were distributed by the worthy Vice Chancellor of University of Health Sciences, Prof. Dr Javed Akram.

Talking to media men, Federal Minister Amir Mehmood Kiyani said he is aware of bed shortages in Allied Hospitals and would soon solve the problems. He said TB hospital would also be completed soon. He said NAB is an independent department and would arrest all those who looted national kitty.