PESHAWAR, Dec 20: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has said that a sum of Rs20 million had been allocated to upgrade the Khyber Medical College to the level of a medical university.

He said the Khyber Medical College (KMC) was an asset of the country. He was confident that it would keep pace with global advancements in medical sciences. He was addressing the annual convocation of the KMC held at the Convocation Hall on Monday.

This year, 191 students - 122 male and 69 female - have passed out with Dr Mohammad Fawad ul Qamar grabbing the highest number of gold medals - 16 in different subjects.

The graduate has also broken the KMC's 50-year-old record by securing 1,609 marks out of 1,900. The governor gave him nine gold medals on the convocation day, including four for topping in the first year, second year, third year and final year exams of MBBS.

The governor said that medicine was an honourable profession and reminded the graduates that a lot of responsibility rested on their shoulders for the treatment of ailing community members. He advised them caution in the discharge of their social and humanitarian obligations.

When doctors complete their professional education, they are supposed to serve humanity and follow the set medical ethics, Mr Shah told the health practitioners. He stressed the significance of medical colleges' role, saying they were the country's assets producing skilled hands to take care of ailing humanity.

He lauded the talent and capability of KMC graduates for qualifying the PLAB, an international-level exam, with flying colours. The governor appreciated the students' participation in extracurricular activities, such as arranging blood collection camps.

Vice Chancellor University of Peshawar University Mumtaz Gul said the medical graduates were supposed to play an effective role in serving the ailing humanity. He added that countries which excelled in skill development had always dominated the world affairs. He praised KMC's role in producing excellent professionals who were serving across the globe.

The college principal, Prof Dr Khalid Attaullah Mufti presented the brief history of the college, recalling that it was established in 1954, and had gone from strength to strength.

The college, he said, had earned respect for its high standard both at home and abroad. He said that its graduates - almost 8,000 in number - were holding key positions in the country, the UK and the US.

He said the teaching staff had set a first-rate standard of teaching and provided to students an environment conducive for studies. Dr Mufti said the college had recently started M.Phil courses in all basic medical science subjects after winning approval from the PMDC.

He demanded that the government speed up efforts for establishing a medical university. He pointed out that medical universities were already functioning in Punjab and Sindh.