KARACHI, Dec 19: As many as 119 graduates were awarded nursing diplomas in four specialities at the 49th convocation of the College of Nursing (CN), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), on Monday.

The outgoing students belonged to different provinces of the country. With the latest passing out of students, the number of CN graduates, which was established in 1956, reached 3,661.

Speaking as chief guest, the State Minister for Health, Shahnaz Sheikh, said that the government valued the nursing profession and was considering improving further the status of nurses and their working conditions.

She said that a revised service structure for nurses would be implemented soon, under which nurses would be inducted in the federal government institutions in grade 15, instead of 14.

She said that after the appointment of 300 new nurses at the JPMC, process for which was nearing to a finish, the sanctioned number of nurses would rise up to 500 at the centre.

The minister also assured the college principal of her support and funding from the federal government to upgrade skill laboratory, science laboratory and library of the college at the earliest. She also mentioned that efforts would be made for appointment of sanctioned faculty of the college and creation of new posts.

Ms Sheikh said that the CN was the only college of the federal government which also gave a bachelor science degree in nursing. It is heartening that the college was now planning to launch an MSc programme in nursing as well.

The director of JPMC, Dr Mashoor Alam, told the graduates that the skills they had acquired at the college would bear fruits only when they sincerely applied those for the benefit of their profession and the patients.

He said that nursing education had phenomenally progressed with revised curriculum, advanced English, modern laboratory and fundamentals of science subjects.

The principal of CN, Mywish Nadir Khan, said that her college was the pioneer in training professional nurses in the fields of “ward administration” and “teaching and administration”.

The college served both the government and private sectors, while candidates came from the federal government hospitals, army and semi-government organizations, AJK, FATA and other provinces, she added.

Of the 119 graduates of 2005, 58 students took the ward administration course, while another 49 took teaching and administration, 4 took community health nursing and 8 took the psychiatric health nursing courses.

Apprising the chief guest about the problems faced by the college, the principal said that there was a shortage of teaching faculty, instructors, funds, while the college building and the auditorium also required immediate repairing and renovation.

Sofia Rahmat of the teaching administration course and Captain Sarwat of the ward administration course were presented gold medals for outstanding academic achievements.