KARACHI, July 31: There is a need for reduction of seats for admission to first year classes in medical colleges in the city, a senior faculty member told this news agency on Wednesday.

However, there has been no decision as yet for reduction of merit seats at the two public sector medical colleges.

The faculty member was of the view that reduction in seats would help contribute towards the betterment of medical education and will also improve the student-teacher ratio, which is quite high at present.

It was pointed out that in the Dow Medical College, the strength of faculty members is 48, whereas the total enrolment in five classes was well over 2,000 students.

The intake of students in the first year class at the DMC is at present 350.

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has proposed that the intake of students in the first year classes at the two medical colleges in Karachi be restricted to 250 seats.

The admission policy to the medical colleges in the province for the coming academic session has not yet been announced.

It was pointed out that the DMC was established in 1945 for an intake of only 50 seats.

This number has now grown to over 350 seats. However, with a large faculty of 48 professors, the DMC manages to meet the required student-teacher ratio of I:5 as stipulated by the PMDC. However, the SMC, with a smaller faculty, is unable to meet the requirement.

It was further pointed out that the DMC and the SMC are also not meeting the PMDC regulation that the number of seats in the public sector medical colleges be restricted to 250.—APP