Nishtar Medical College

Nishtar Medical College
Motto	"Service & Discipline"
Established	1951
Type	Public
Chairman	Jalaluddin Roomi
Principal	Dr. Laiq Hussein Siddiqui
Location	Multan, Pakistan
Affiliations	University of Health Sciences, Lahore[1]
Website	http://www.nmch.edu.pk

Coordinates: 30°12′10″N 71°26′30″E / 30.20278°N 71.44167°E / 30.20278; 71.44167

Nishtar Medical College is a medical school located in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is named after Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, a celebrated companion of Father of the Nation Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the then Governor of Punjab province. It is one of the premier medical schools of the country. The majority of the degrees it awards are in the fields of Medicine (MBBS) and Dentistry (BDS).

Programs offered

The college has the following programs:^[2]

• Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS): a 5-year undergraduate program equivalent to MD in United States.
• Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS): a 4-year undergraduate program.
• Bachelor of Science (BSc): a 4-year undergraduate program in Emergency and Intensive Care Sciences, Dental Technology, Medical Laboratory Technology, Medical Imaging Technology and Optometry.

History

The idea of establishing a medical teaching institution in Multan was first put forward by Dr. M. J. Bhutta in 1945. At that time, there was only one medical college in Punjab: King Edward Medical College in Lahore. The Muslim students ratio in KEMC was very low and after the formation of Pakistan on 14 August 1947, the majority of doctors left for India, while few Muslim immigrants were of the profession. This vacuum in the availability of medical doctors necessitated more medical colleges in the newly formed Muslim state.

Nishtar Medical College

On this basis, Dr. Mohammed Jamaal Bhutta and Col. Dr. Mallick were of the view that Punjab urgently required to meet the immediate needs of the province. The Government of Punjab took this situation seriously and authorized the Governor of Punjab, Sardar Abdul Rab Nishtar, to make a historic announcement establishing a modern medical college and hospital in Multan.

After that announcement, the planning of the college and hospital began, in which Dr. M. J. Bhutta, Mr. Inamullah Shah and Syed Ismaeil Ali Shah actively participated. Soon, the Government of the Punjab gave the sanction and approved the plan. The credit of such a rapid approval must go to Sardar Abdul Rab Nishtar, Mr. Inamullah and Mr. Allauddin Arshad. The next step was to have a detailed map for the college building. Mr. Somjee, Mr. Inamullah and Dr. M. J. Bhutta worked day and night in this regard. The idea of domes and Nishtar clock tower was put forward by Dr. M. J. Bhutta and the architectural assistant respectively. Further Islamic touch was given by Mr. Somjee by providing pillars and balconies.

The foundation stone was laid on the 28th of April, 1951 by Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar. As the construction work started, the Anatomy and Physiology departments were first to be built. Meanwhile, staff and equipment was also arranged for the first batch. The inauguration ceremony was held on the 1st of October, 1951 by the then commissioner Mr. Inamullah Khan. The ceremony was attended by the staff and students of the first batch.

The first batch included a total of 52 students, and first lecture was delivered by Dr. Mohammed Hafeez Toosy, who was then Head & Professor of Anatomy department. In 1952 Dr. M. J. Bhutta designed the Nishtar flag, Nishtar crest and its motto. The first function of the college was the celebration of the foundation stone. It was held on the 28th of April, 1952. The construction of the college continued as the first batch progressed from 1st year to the final year. It is the third oldest medical school in Punjab and fourth oldest of the country.

The construction of the Nishtar Hospital block started in 1953. The basic idea and its plan was provided by Dr. M. J. Bhutta. He had already collected many ideas during his tour of the UK by visiting many hospitals there. Mr. Inamullah, Mr. Jamaal-ud-Din and Mr. Murat Khan also participated in the construction. On the 1st of October, 1953 Nishtar Hospital started functioning with 80 beds.

In 1954, Medicine, Surgery, Gynaecology, Tuberculosis, Pediatrics, Ophthalmology, ENT, Anesthesia and Radiology departments also started functioning. With the construction of the hospital building, many other buildings including the boys hostels, administration block, kitchen block, college first floor and staff residences were also built.

The first annual final professional M.B.B.S. examination was held in May 1956. As of March 2011^[update], 56 batches have graduated. In 1974, the college also opened the Dental Section, which has now been upgraded into a dentistry institute.

The founding principal was Prof. Dr. Jamal Bhutta. Later well-known luminaries like Prof. Hayat Zafar — who upgraded the hospital most after its first principal — took the position of Principal. Prof. Hayat Zafar later headed the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan. Two hostel buildings, hostel central canteen and host of facilties were added during his tenure.

Prof. Rauf Khan (Medicine), Prof. Zafar Haider(Surgery), and Prof. Gulzar Ahmed(Physiology) were among its longest-serving faculty.

In 2001, Nishtar Medical College celebrated its Golden Jubilee and to commemorate the occasion Pakistan Post issued a five rupees postal stamp.^[3][4]

Affiliation

• The college was initially affiliated with University of the Punjab Lahore, the only university in Punjab at that time.
• In 1975 it became affiliated with Bahauddin Zakariya University, a newly formed university for Southern Punjab.
• In January 2003 it became affiliated with the University of Health Sciences, Lahore.^[5]

Campus

Quadrangle of Nishtar Medical College

The college is located at a distance of 3 km from the city centre. The campus is spread over 20 acres (81,000 m²) of land. Nishtar Hospital is located adjacent to the college. Nishtar Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in Pakistan. The total area of the campus, hospital and hostel area is more than 112 acres (0.45 km²).

The city of Multan is one of the hottest localities of Pakistan; this is reflected in architecture of the college and hospital — high ceilings and large windows are commonplace.

The college itself is spacious, with the various academic departments housed around a central quadrangle. The quadrangle is a large garden used for student functions and gatherings. There is an attached hospital, adjacent hostels, and faculty residential colony. The college as well as the hostels are nostalgic of old Islamic architecture. The buildings added to the campus in the 1960s to early 1980s were designed by A. R. Hye.^[6]

Admission

A student is eligible to apply after a Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC)/A Level/Equivalent examination. Candidates are selected by a rigorous admission process that includes a competitive centralized Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) conducted by University of Health Sciences Lahore. Merit is determined by the marks obtained on the MCAT and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC)/A Level/Equivalent examination.

Foreign/International students can apply for admission through the Higher Education Commission Islamabad, Pakistan.^[7]

Student life

Students come from the province of Punjab and other parts of Pakistan, as well as from several other countries, including the US, Canada, UK, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Africa and the Middle East. Nishtar Medical College prides itself on the diversity of its student body. Most choose to live in the hostels on the purpose built campus although a fair number of students are locally from Multan. There are separate hostels located on campus for male and female students.

Facilities on campus include a swimming pool, a basketball court, squash courts, football, hockey and cricket grounds, lawn tennis courts, table tennis, a badminton court and a jogging track.

Nishtar's many student societies, clubs, and associations help meet the recreational and vocational needs of students, who bring with them a rich blend of extracurricular interests.

Recognition

The college is recognized for undergraduate and post-graduate training by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council^[8] and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan.^[9]

It is listed in the FAIMER International Medical Education Directory of International Medical Schools.^[10] Nishtar's graduates are eligble to appear in different countries medical licensing exams, notable among them are United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board test (PLAB) of UK.

Departments

Nishtar Medical College has the following departments:^[11][12]

Basic Health Sciences departments

Anatomy

Physiology

Biochemistry

Behavioral Medicine

Forensic Medicine

Pathology

Pharmacology

Community Medicine

Clinical Health Sciences departments

Medicine

Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Ophthalmology

Otolaryngology

Pediatrics

Surgery

In addition, allied specialty exposure is ensured in the areas of Orthopedics, Urology, Anesthesia, Peadiatric Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Plastic Surgery , Psychiatry, Neurosurgery, Dermatology, Family Medicine, Radiology and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Attached teaching hospitals

Nishtar Hospital, Multan

Nishtar Institute of Dentistry, Multan

Medical Journal

Nishtar Medical College publishes a quarterly medical journal, Nishtar Medical Journal (NMJ). First journal was published in April 2009 for the period January to March 2009. NMJ patron is The Principal and its editorial board includes Professors of different departments of Nishtar Medical College and Hospital.

The mission of the Nishtar Medical Journal is to provide continued medical education to health care professionals in order to improve the health care delivery to patients. The editorial office accepts original research articles, case reports and special communications in medical and surgical specialties for publication. In addition, medical students can write up articles in special section called students corner.^[13]

Alumni

Nishtar Medical College graduates have a strong alumni presence in United States. Nishtar Alumni Association of North America (NANA) is committed in recognizing and nurturing the rich and proud heritage of Nishtar medical College, the Alumni, the faculty and staff, and the current and future student body through the development of mutually beneficial relationships. The NANA continues to fund one major project in NMC every year as they have done in the past few years. Some of the continuing and past projects include 25 scholarships per year , extension project of the pediatrics ward, conference room in the ER, and this year Simulation Lab for the students.^[14]

References

1. ^ http://uhs.edu.pk/registration/affinst.php
2. ^ http://uhs.edu.pk/registration/affinst.php
3. ^ http://www.pakpost.gov.pk/philately/stamps2001/nishtar_medical_college.html
4. ^ http://www.nishtar.org/History.htm
5. ^ http://uhs.edu.pk/registration/affinst.html
6. ^ http://www.nishtar.org/History.html
7. ^ http://www.hec.gov.pk/InsideHEC/Divisions/AECA/ForeignStudentsAdmission/AFSMBTSBDSBSEDP/Pages/Default.aspx
8. ^ http://www.pmdc.org.pk/AboutUs/RecognizedMedicalDentalColleges/tabid/109/Default.aspx
9. ^ http://www.cpsp.edu.pk/index.php?code=QUNDRHxCb2R5fGFjY2RfRkNQU19kZXRhaWwucGhwfDM4
10. ^ https://imed.faimer.org/details.asp?country=704&school=&currpage=2&cname=PAKISTAN&city=&region=&rname=&mcode=704090&psize=25
11. ^ http://nishtar.org/nishtar-Hospital.htm
12. ^ http://nishtar.org/nishtar-medical-College1.htm
13. ^ http://www.thenmj.com
14. ^ http://nishtar.org/index.html

External links

• Nishtar Medical College Official website of the college.
• Nishtar Medical Journal Official website of the journal college publishes.
• Nishtar Medical College Alumni of North America Official website of Nishtar graduates who are in training or practice in North America.
• University of Health Sciences Lahore The university to which the college is affiliated.