LARKANA, April 29: The Vice Chancellor of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) and Secretary Health Prof Naushad. A. Shaikh conferred MBBS degrees on 202 graduates of batches 27 and 28 of Chandka Medical College Larkana on Saturday night, and said on the occasion that CMC was fit to be declared a full-fledged Medical University now.

Speaking as chief guest at the seventh convocation of CMC Larkana, he said that the institution was moving in the right direction.

Within five years it had improved a lot and its high standard of education, coupled with discipline, qualify it to be declared a medical university instead of a constituent college of any medical university, he said.

It was a triangular task where parents, students and teachers had tremendously contributed in producing good doctors.

He said government was planning to include health chapter in textbooks pertaining to the prevention of diseases with the sole purpose of training students at their basic levels and creating awareness.

Addressing fresh graduates, he said choosing the medical profession meant forgetting about yourselves for now “as you are living for humanity and not for yourselves”.

He said that keeping in view the situation, basic health centres of 10 districts were handed over to public-private partnership operation with the basic idea of improving the health facilities. If results were positive and encouraging “we are ready to hand over 13 more to this partnership”, he said. It would not only bring in good changes but also lower the financial burden on government, he said.

He later laid the foundation stone of the under construction dental college.

On the occasion the vice-chancellor gave shields and gold medals to two best graduates of the year Dr Aisha Azizullah Shiakh and Dr Bushra Sikandar Shaikh

Mashooque Ali Dahar was given gold medal for securing first position in final year MBBS.

In all 22 gold medals, 22 silver medals were given to the outstanding medical graduates who had topped in different years and shined in different subjects.

Prof Sikandar Ali Shaikh, Principal of CMC in his address of welcome, listed the achievements and activities of the college.

He demanded elevation of the status of CMC to a medical university with the inclusion of CMC Larkana, Chandka Dental College, Sardar Ghulam Mohammed Mahar Medical College, Sukkur and Nursing, Paramedics and LHV schools of upper Sindh.