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LAHORE, Aug 20: The Punjab government has approved the policy for admission to the first year MBBS class in 10 medical colleges, including three newly-established ones, for 2003-04 session. As many as 1,955 seats, including 332 to be filled on a self-finance basis, have been approved.
Besides creating 332 seats in the three medical colleges, the Punjab government has created 140 seats (20 seats in each medical college) on a self-finance basis. The government has also approved the proposal that there should be no increase in tuition fee for the session.
Entrance test for admission to these colleges will be held on Sept 21. The University of Engineering and Technology will conduct the test simultaneously in Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Bahawalpur.
The government has maintained the previous year’s eligibility of at least 65 per cent marks in FSc examination (715 marks out of 1,100 marks) for candidates intending to appear for the test.
The eligible candidates can purchase entrance test admission packet from Aug 25 to Sept 6, and submit within these dates their personal data sheets and admit cards for the test.
The government has approved that the entrance test results will be declared on Oct 11, and students will submit their admission applications from Oct 13 to 18 for final selection. The final lists will be put up on Oct 27.
The Punjab medical colleges admission board’s proposal to abolish the provision of SAT-I, II and MCAT, in lieu of entrance test, for overseas candidates seeking admission against open merit seats had also been approved. However, the criteria for nomination of expatriate Pakistanis and foreign students through the Economic Affairs Division in accordance with a national policy for admission to the medical colleges on a self-finance basis or under the Technical Assistance Programme had been retained.
SEATS BREAK-DOWN: The allocation of seats for the first year MBBS session 2003-04 shows 1,111 open merit seats in seven medical colleges as well as 348 additional seats to be filled on open merit for this academic session only, 164 reserved seats and 332 seats on a self-finance basis.
According to the break-down of the 1,111 open merit seats, the King Edward Medical College has 171 on offer, the Allama Iqbal Medical College 169, the Fatima Jinnah Medical College 135, including 50 per cent (67 seats) share of the federal government. The Nishtar Medical College, Multan, the Quaid-i-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, the Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad, and the Rawalpindi Medical College will offer 159 seats each.
The 164 reserved seats include 12 seats for the disabled students —- one each at the KEMC and the FJMC, and two seats in other five colleges; seven seats (one in each college) for FATA candidates; 30 seats (12 seats at FJMC, one each at the KEMC and the AIMC and four each in other four colleges) for Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Northern Areas; 72 seats (21 seats at the FJMC, 11 at the QAMC, 10 each at the NMC, the PMC and the RMC and five seats each at the KEMC and the AIMC) for foreign students under the Technical Assistance Programme; 15 seats (three at the NMC and two each in all other six colleges) on a reciprocal basis; and 28 seats (four in each college) for foreign students on a self-finance basis.
Of the 28 seats for foreign students on a self-finance basis, 50 per cent seats have been kept floating with respect to the preferred choice of the students. The government has fixed two seats in each college (14 seats in all) while as many seats in each college have been kept floating to provide choice to foreign students to seek admission in colleges charging high or less fees.
The three colleges in Lahore —- the KEMC, the AIMC and the FJMC —- will charge US $10,000 per annum, while the RMC and the NMC will charge US $7,000 per annum, and the QAMC and the PMC will charge US $5,000 per annum from foreign students.
SELF-FINANCE SEATS: The Punjab government has approved 332 seats on a self-finance basis, including 140 seats in seven medical colleges, 95 seats in the Shaikh Zayed Medical College, Rahim Yar Khan, 60 seats in the Services Institute of Medical Sciences, and 30 seats in the Sialkot Medical College. The SZMC also has four additional seats for the disabled candidates on a self-finance basis and one seat for Northern Areas candidate on normal fee. The SIMS also has two seats Northern Areas candidates on normal fee.
The admission on a self-finance basis will be open for local as well as expatriate Pakistanis on merit. The fee for the local students will be Rs250,000 per annum, while the expatriate students will be required to pay US $10,000 per annum fee for admission at the KEMC, the AIMC and the FJMC; US $7,000 per annum for admission to the NMC and the RMC and US $5,000 for the QAMC and the PMC.
The Punjab government has approved proposal to spend the 25 per cent of the income generated from the self-finance scheme on the strengthening of medical facilities of the attached hospitals.
ENTRANCE TEST: The entrance test will contain 70 questions in biology, 60 each in physics and chemistry and 30 in English. Each question will carry five marks and for each wrong answer one mark will be deducted. The duration of the entrance test will be two-and-a-half hours
The government has also decided that the photocopies of the answer-sheets will be kept sealed in the Habib Bank Limited.
