HYDERABAD, Sept 3: The president, Pakistan Medical Association, Sindh chapter, Dr Noor Mohammad Memon, has expressed reservations on the demand for increasing seats for medical admissions.

In a statement faxed to Dawn here on Tuesday, he said previously the number of seats was increased on political grounds which was devoid of technical consideration.

He said later the seats were again reduced.

He maintained that the first reason for the decision was that the increasing number of doctors was creating problems for the government as it could not provide jobs to all of them. He said the other reason was that the quality of medical education had deteriorated due to overcrowding and lack of adequate teaching, training and faculty facilities.

He said though we had not reached the international doctor-patient ratio but financial constraints did not allow the government to create new posts or expand the existing teaching facilities.

hepatitis-B: The screening and vaccination of the Hyderabad police force for hepatitis-B was launched here the other day.

A programme in this connection was organized at the police ground on Sunday night.

The DPO, operations, informed the gathering that 57 policemen were suffering from hepatitis-B and C and five had died of the disease in 2002-2003.