PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Shaukat Yousufzai has said that efforts are afoot to recruit around 900 doctors in near future while 500 have already been inducted by the current provincial government.

He was speaking at the convocation of Khyber Medical College (KMC) for year 2013 here on Thursday. He said that difficulties were there, but the government had also put the things on right lines and people would feel the change. Mr Yousufzai, who is also the KMC pro-chancellor, congratulated the young graduating doctors and surgeons and said that they owed a lot to the nation to materialise the expectations of serving the ailing humanity.

Governor Engineer Shaukatullah, who is also the chancellor of KMC, was chief guest on the occasion. Prof Hafeezullah, vice-chancellor of the university, also addressed the ceremony while Prof Ejaz Hassan, principal of the college, presented the annual report and highlighted achievements of the KMC.

The governor said that the KMC had rich share in the promotion of medical education and provision of health care facilities to people of the province and Fata.

He said that a record number of students of this institution having passed foreign examinations reflected that its graduates were at par with the best at the international level.

He said that the ongoing measures of the government to further strengthen the health system would produce good results.

Dr Mahrukh Aisha Ali with seven gold medals was declared the best student of session 2011-12.

The governor said that the spirit of social work, promotion of sports and development of public health education were the most important areas of medical education.

He praised the services being rendered by the KMC’s Social Welfare Society in providing patient care and community services. He announced a donation of Rs0.5 million each for the society and non-teaching staff of the college. Referring to the request for extending sponsorship to students exchange programme and other proposals, the governor promised to take necessary steps for their fulfillment.

Meanwhile, the governor in his speech at the 32nd annual general body meeting of KP branch of Pakistan Red Crescent Society stressed the importance of efficient and useful working of humanitarian organisations in extending services to people in need. He praised the PRCS role in this regard and said there was a need to continue efforts for building up its capacity.

Dr Sher Mohammad, provincial chairman of the PRCS, presented the annual report, while Tanvirul Haq in his capacity as treasurer of the organisation presented budgetary proposals for 2014 and the expenditures for 2012-13.