KARACHI, Oct 5: In all, 125 graduates of different programmes were conferred degrees at the first convocation of the Ziauddin Medical University (ZMU) at its Clifton campus on Saturday.

Sindh Governor Mohammedmian Soomro was the chief guest, who also awarded degrees and gold medals to the graduates belonging to two MBBS batches, BSc (medical technology) programme, in addition to one PhD, five MPhil and two MD graduates.

Nosheen Mahmood, Zaki Hussain Khan and Zohra Irshad Nooruddin of batch-1 and Faiza Hanif of batch-2 received gold medals for their outstanding performances in the MBBS programme.

In his convocation address, the governor pointed out to the graduates that they must in their practical life have all passion to serve humanity and pursue further excellence in their profession.

He congratulated the chancellor and the administration of the university for its achievements in the quest of providing quality medical education in the country. “Ziauddin University and other institutions in the private sector are of specific value,” he said, adding that “they are not only alleviating the task of the government for providing professional educational facilities, but are also directing their efforts towards fulfilling a critical need of producing qualified and dedicated doctors to serve the masses in the country.”

The chancellor of the university, Dr Asim Hussain, apprised the audience of the long journey and achievements of the Ziauddin Trust in the filed of health and health education. Starting from a ten-bedded maternity home in Karachi in 1958, the trust has now grown to 500-bedded hospital and medical education complex, he added.

He said the undergraduate medical programme of the university had been very choosy and admissions were restricted to 50 students in each batch so that quality of education was not impaired to maintain the teacher-student ratio.

He urged the government to encourage the private sector to overcome the inadequate health facility and infrastructure problems. He said Ziauddin University would establish another campus on a 25-acre of land on the Link Road in the coming years, where an institution for research and training in medical and allied sciences would be established.

The vice-chancellor of the university, Dr N. A. Jaffery, said the university was dedicated to perpetuate the memory of Dr Ziauddin Ahmed whose contribution to the education of the Muslims of the subcontinent was a legend.

In all, 42 graduates of batch-1, 58 of batch II of MBBS programmes, 17 of BSc (medical technology) programme were conferred degrees. The recipients of PhD, MPhil and MD degrees included Dr Anila Jalil, Dr Zeba Haque, Dr Imran Akhtar Siddiqui, Dr Ghulam Rehmani Lakho, Dr Anjum Gul Memon, Dr Nadeem Alam, Dr Altaf Ahmad and Dr Anwar.