HYDERABAD, Sept 9: Sindh Governor Mohammedmian Soomro has said that the National Finance Commission award should be based on population, revenue collection and the backwardness of the provinces.

He denied that an election cell had been established at the Governor’s House in Karachi.

He was answering newsmen’s questions at the end of the first convocation of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences in Jamshoro on Monday.

He also denied that any provincial minister was directly engaged in election campaign of the candidates and added that the ministers could have sympathies with some candidates but they were not involved in the election campaign.

Answering another question about the involvement of the Nazimeen in electioneering, he said that a local government commission was to deal with such complaints.

Earlier speaking at the convention, he stressed the need for continuous research, particularly in the field of bio-technology, for rapid development of the country.

He said that continuous research in the universities and acquisition of modern equipment were necessary for progress of any society.

He called upon the scholars to keep abreast in the field of research and the acquisition of new technologies in the fast changing world.

He urged the university graduates, who had completed their medical education, to serve the masses with devotion and dedication.

He praised the Sindh health minister and the provincial cabinet for their untiring efforts for setting up the first medical university in the public sector and added that it was a matter of personal satisfaction for him that Sindh had taken a lead in establishing the first medical university.

He said that it was now up to the faculty members to prove themselves worthy of this singular distinction.

He said that without the quality education, the very concept of education was meaningless and stressed that the admissions should be granted strictly on merit.

He urged the university management to organize medical conferences and exhibitions and acquire linkages programmes with the renowned medical institutions of the world.

He said that the university administration should not lose contact with its former students as they could be willing to offer financial and scientific assistance.

The Sindh health minister and the pro-chancellor of the university, Ahsan Ahmed, spoke of the hurdles which came in the way of the upgradation of the Liaquat Medical College into the university and the efforts undertaken by the Sindh governor and his cabinet in establishing the first ever medical university in Pakistan in the public sector.

He appealed the philanthropists to help make the Liaquat University a seat of excellence in medical education and healthcare.

In his address of welcome, the vice chancellor of the university, Prof Jan Mohammad Memon, dwelt at length on the performance of the institution.

He said that the medical institution had produced 15,000 doctors, 2,000 dentists and 1,200 post-graduates, some of whom were serving as professors and specialists in various medical institutions of the province and elsewhere.

He said that recognizing role of nurses in healthcare system, the institution was also concentrating on producing postgraduate nurses.

He said that during a short span of one year, the university had made a significant progress. He referred to the establishment of faculties of basic medical sciences, community and public health sciences, medicines and allied sciences, surgery and allied sciences and dentistry and added that new post-graduate courses had been introduced in the disciplines.

About research activities, the vice chancellor said that the ministry of science and technology and the Pakistan Medical and Research Council had identified the university as the sentinel centre for infectious diseases surveillance and health management information system.

The governor on the occasion announced Rs1,000 cash award for the best graduates of the university in various disciplines. He also awarded gold, silver and bronze medals and certificates to the outstanding graduates.