LAHORE: The Punjab governor has issued a notification of upgrading the Fatima Jinnah Medical College to a full-fledged medical university.

The FJMC, one of the premier medical institutions of the country, has been upgraded to the status of an independent, degree-awarding university by the Punjab governor after the Punjab Assembly approved the FJMU Bill 2015 on May 25.

The FJMU would be the third medical university of the provincial capital after University of Health Sciences and King Edward Medical University, which would now run its postgraduate programmes and diplomas besides undergraduate projects on the pattern of the KEMU.

The FJMC would continue to admit 300 undergraduate students.

An official close to the development told Dawn on Monday that though the Punjab governor through a notification on last Friday converted FJMC into FJMU, no appointment was made against top key positions including the vice chancellor, pro-chancellor, controller examination, and treasurer.

According to the amendment made in FJMU Bill 2015, the new regular vice chancellor of the FJMU would be appointed within a period of six months of the constitution of the varsity. During that time the varsity will be run on a ‘look after’ basis.

However, no notification was issued about the acting VC of the FJMU bringing the several financial and administrative affairs of the FJMU to a standstill, the official said.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2015

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