September 20, 2008	Saturday	Ramazan 19, 1429

KARACHI, Sept 19: The Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) has advised the 750 candidates whose names have appeared in the final merit list of candidates eligible for admission to its MBBS and BDS programmes 2008 to necessarily visit the university along with the required documents on Sunday.

Coordinator of the DUHS Admission Programme Dr Rana Qamar told APP on Friday that the final merit list would be accessible through the university’s website “www.duhs.edu.pk” by Friday evening.

Candidates bearing the merit list number 1 to 750 have been asked to ensure their presence at the university on Sunday according to the schedule and instructions mentioned with the list on the website. “Failure on the part of any candidate or his/her representative to turn up at the DUHS along with the required documents will cost his/her seat, which will be given to the candidate next on merit and no claims in this regard will be accepted,” Dr Rana said.

She said there were 426 general merit seats and another 86 seats being offered on a self-finance basis for the MBBS programme while 34 general merit and 12 self-finance seats for BDS, coupled with 30 reciprocal seats.

The exact number of available seats for the two programmes is 588, including 30 seats reserved for the students coming from other medical colleges in the province and keen to acquire education at the Dow or Sindh medical colleges.

“The DUHS has asked the first 750 students qualifying the admission test held three months back to visit the university so that they could be accommodated against the merit/self-finance seats left vacant by the successful candidate,” she said, adding, “our past experience shows that candidates coming high on merit are, at times, not interested in pursuing a medical career or seek admission to any other medical college.”

Dr Rana, a senior faculty member, said there were 213 seats each in the Dow Medical College and the Sindh Medical College and the 213 students on top of the list would be accommodated in the DMC and the next 213 in the SMC.

The candidates willing to be accommodated in the DMC but having been placed below the number of 213 on the general merit list may be obliged only if a general merit seat is left vacant. Otherwise, they may be advised to opt for a self-finance seat.

All the 30 open merit and 12 self-finance seats for the BDS programme are available at the Dr Ishratul Ibad Institute of Oral Health Sciences, said

Dr Rana.

The admission fee for the MBBS and BDS programmes is Rs24,150 while the annual fee for the MBBS and BDS (open merit) is Rs15,000 and Rs60,000, respectively. For those enrolled on a self-finance basis, the fee for the MBBS programme is Rs250,000 and for the BDS programme it is Rs300,000.

Dr Rana clarified that the reciprocity formula would be equally applicable to students who might have qualified the DUHS entry test but are desirous of being enrolled in some public sector medical college other than those in Karachi.

Bachelor courses

The DUHS on Friday informed the intermediate (pre-medical) students that admissions to the bachelor courses of Medical Technology, Dental Technology, Occupa-tional Therapy and Pharmacy would open by the end of September.—APP