HYDERABAD: Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) vice chancellor Prof Dr Noshad A. Shaikh on Sunday announced establishment of a male medical college to be named after (Pakistan Peoples Party chairman) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

The LUMHS, in an official statement, said that the college would be established by January 2015.

It would help overcome a shortage of male doctors in the field, the statement said, adding that the issue was a matter of great concern for the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), which also desired that medical seats should be allocated on a 50-50 basis for male and female candidates.

The announcement came on a day when tests for 2014-15 batch of medical students for admission to the the medical and dental colleges was held across Sindh.

A total of 5,297 candidates from 13 districts — Hyderabad, Nawabshah, Matiari, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tharparkar, Thatta, Badin, Jamshoro and Sujawal — appeared in the test conducted by the National Testing Service (NTS).

LARKANA: A total of 3,284 candidates appeared in the entry test conducted on Sunday by the National Testing Service (NTS) at the Police Training School for admission to the Chandka Medical College (CMC) and the Bibi Aseefa Dental College (BADC) for the academic year 2014-15.

Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University admission director Dr Abdul Waheed Memon said that 1,370 male and 1,914 female candidates from seven districts of the interior Sindh took the test held for 250 seats available at the CMC and BADC.

Two candidates were expelled from the centre for using unfair means and one invigilator was stopped from continuing his duty for using his mobile phone during the test, he said.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2014