KARACHI, Nov 5: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan has decided in principle to raise the number of seats in the medical section of Karachi Medical and Dental College by another 50.

The KMDC, an institution under the city government, is being run by a governing body with city nazim as its chairman. The medical section had 50 seats, which will be doubled. However, no decision has been taken for an increase in the seats in dental section.

Naimatullah Khan has asked KMDC Principal Saadia Karim to approach the University of Karachi and the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council for enrolment in respect of additional 50 seats.

He expressed hope that people belonging to all walks of life would appreciate this decision. He also contacted Karachi University's vice-chancellor Prof Pirzada Qasim and talked to him on this matter.

The vice- chancellor assured him that enrolment to additional 50 students would be granted if the educational facilities at the college were at par with the prescribed standard.

According to the nazim, the University of Karachi will send a team to the KMDC soon in this regard. Naimatullah Khan said that by significantly decreasing the number of seats in the public sector medical colleges and allowing establishment of eight colleges in the private sector during the last 10 years, an injustice was done to such students who were talented but belonged to middle-class.

He said that he took the decision for an increase of 50 seats in the KMDC in the interest of students, who were talented but could not pay the hefty fee of private medical colleges. He said that such talented students could not become a doctor despite having the required merit.

He said that the KMDC was considered a good institution among medical colleges in the city and its students very often got positions in the exams held under Karachi University's examination department. He pointed out that a large number of students who graduated from the KMDC successfully passed FPCS and FRCS exams and turned specialists.

The nazim made it clear that enough facilities were available at the KMDC, which would meet the requirement and standard set by the University of Karachi. He expressed hope that there would be no problem in raising the number of seats.

He said that the city government had completed the construction of college building at a cost of Rs160 million. It would be inaugurated soon after Ramazan-ul-Mubarak, he disclosed.

He further said that advertisement had already been given through the Public Service Commission to overcome the shortage of teaching staff. Naimatullah Khan directed the college administration to speed up the purchase of required furniture and laboratory equipments. -APP