Liaquat University of Health Sciences (LUMHS) Jamshoro, Sindh held its 9th Annual Convocation on January 15, 2010 to confer degrees upon 500 students of the MBBS, BDS and postgraduates. Higher Education Commission, Chairman, Dr. Javed Leghari was the Chief Guest at the Convocation.
Dr. Javed Leghari in his address said that the universities of the country are in dire need of Ph.D degree holders to be on par with leading universities of the world. Currently, only 20 percent of Pakistani faculty have Ph.D degrees and even after addition of 7,500 Ph.Ds, the HEC would still need 15,000 more Ph.Ds over the next 10 years. In 55 years, Pakistan had 3,000 Ph.D students while in past seven years alone the country had produced 3,280 Ph.Ds.
HEC had sponsored Ph.D degree programmes of 7,500 students out of which 3,500 in foreign countries and 4,000 in the country. There is a long way to go in terms of improving standards and quality of education, particularly in medical education which is a cornerstone of economic and social development.
He said that the government had asked for increasing access to higher education from five per cent to 10 per cent by 2015 and 15 per cent by 2020. “HEC have to increase enrolment in universities by two and a half times in next five years and 4.3 times in next 10 years,” he said.
Earlier, Prof. Dr. Noshad A. Shaikh, Vice Chancellor- LUMHS said that LUMHS is striving to get ISO 9001 certificate this year and for that a high level committee has been constituted to monitor the process.
Today, LUMHS is offering degree and diploma courses in over 50 major disciplines in both basic medical sciences and clinical specialties of medicine and dentistry.
Talking about the Convocation, he congratulated all the recipients of degrees and diplomas. He hoped that these graduates will work for improving health status of the country.
He further informed that LUMHS is proud that in the last three years over 700 research articles were published by its faculty in both national ad international publications.
We have established a network of research laboratories for our faculty and postgraduates. Some of these laboratories are diagnostic and research, molecular. forensic laboratories and also ophthalmology. They serve as diagnostic research laboratories but also provide facility for research work. These also provide diagnostic facility for patients at very subsidised rates, he said.
He also laid great stress on community health services. He informed that during the recent floods, the faculty, students and administration of the University joined hands in creating precedence by providing shelter, food, water, medicines to over 10,000 IDPs settled on the University campus.
Earlier, the gold medal for the best graduate for the year 2009 was conferred to Furqan Ahmed. Sana Nizam and Zille Huma Ayub clinched first position while M. Iqbal Janhanger got second position and Sara Jaffar and Sana Imadad got third position respectively.