31,602 candidates take entrance testLAHORE:AS many as 31,602 candidates appeared for the Entrance Test conducted by the University of Health Sciences (UHS), for admission to medical and dental institutions of Punjab simultaneously at 23 centres in 12 cities of the province on Tuesday.
The test started at 09:00am and concluded at 11:30am in a peaceful and transparent manner despite heavy downpour in some of the cities, including Lahore. However, in Lahore, rain started after 09:00am when all the candidates had already reached their centres and all the centres were sealed at 08:15am.
In Lahore, there were three centres; one at Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education examination halls on Lawrence Road where 4,502 female candidates appeared, the second centre was established at the University of Engineering and Technology where 5,617 candidates turned up. The UHS was the third centre where 975 non-FSc candidates appeared. In Lahore, out of total 11,094 candidates 7,319 were female and 3,775 male.
In Rawalpindi, the number of candidates who appeared in the test was 4502, Multan 4,212, Faisalabad 2,984, Gujranwala 2,139, Bahawalpur 1,240, Sargodha 938, Sahiwal 1,080, Gujrat 841, DG Khan 872, Rahim Yar Khan 889 and in Hasan Abdal 719 candidates appeared in the test.
Foolproof security arrangements were made by the government on that occasion with hundreds of security personnel and bomb disposal squads present at each centre.
Close circuit TV cameras, mobile phone jammers and security walkthrough gates were installed at all examination centres with special arrangements for disabled students besides special parking and waiting space for parents and relatives of candidates.
Backup generators were also provided at all centres besides provision of facility of first aid and ambulance to meet any eventuality.
In Lahore, Divisional Commissioner Khusro Pervez Khan, Aftab Habib, member of the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team and other senior officials visited the examination centres.
Secretary Health Fawad Hassan Fawad termed the arrangements for entrance test excellent and said that because of the transparent systems of the UHS, there was no possibility of cheating or any other negative activity during the entrance test.
Talking to the media, UHS Vice-Chancellor Prof Malik Hussain Mubbashar said that highly scientific and sophisticated method had been adopted to maintain the secrecy, transparency of the examination papers and whole process of the test. He made it clear once again that admission to medical colleges would be purely on merit. He said that Chief Minster Mian Shahbaz Sharif had expressed his satisfaction over the procedures adopted by the UHS to maintain the secrecy, impartiality in the preparation of examination papers and facilities extended to the candidates.
He said medical college admission test was compulsory across the world, both in developed and developing countries. Neighbouring countries such as Iran, India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka conducted entrance test every year, he added.
“There is a variation in marks obtained by candidates in various boards across country. It is, therefore, important that an equalising mechanism to ensure justice, equity, merit and transparency is in place,” he maintained.
It is important to note that the chief minister had appointed divisional commissioners and senior government officials as regional coordinators and monitoring officers to ensure 100 per cent transparency in the entrance test.
According to the available figures, out of total 31,602 candidates who appeared in the entrance test, 10,816 were males whereas 20,786 were females. Last year, 21,289 candidates had appeared in the test with 6432 males and 14,857 females.
The candidates would compete for 3,361 seats, including 3,145 MBBS and 216 BDS seats, in 15 medical institutions (including four newly established colleges at Gujranwala, Sialkot, DG Khan and Sahiwal) and three dental colleges in public sector in the province respectively. Besides, there would be 1,200 MBBS seats in 12 medical colleges and 400 BDS seats in eight dental colleges in private sector.
The UHS will upload the answer keys of question papers of entrance test on its website
www.uhs.edu.pk as soon as answer sheets and examination material returns to it from other cities.The news
