11th Convocation of RMC for graduates of 2012 and 2013 held

Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi Medical College (RMC) held its 11th convocation here at the RMC auditorium on Saturday to award degrees to graduates who have passed from RMC in the year 2012 and 2013 under University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore.
Federal Minister of Planning, National Reforms and Development Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary was the chief guest at the ceremony while Vice Chancellor at the University of Health Sciences, Lahore General (r) Muhammad Aslam was the guest of honour. Chairman Board of Management of Allied Hospitals in town Dr. Muhammad Aslam also attended the convocation ceremony that was hosted by Principal RMC and Chief Allied Hospitals Professor Dr. Muhammad Umar.
Apart from a number of distinguished guests, the faculty members of RMC attended the convocation ceremony in which degrees were awarded to a total of 390 graduates of RMC for the years 2012 and 2013.
Dr. Irsa Munir was declared as the best graduate for final professional of the RMC for the year 2012 while Dr. Asma Tameez ud Din was declared as the best graduate for final professional for the year 2013.
Medals were awarded to the best graduates during the convocation ceremony. Shields and certificates were also distributed among students of RMC of years 2012 and 2013 who got distinctions and topped college or the UHS during their stay at the RMC.
Speaking on the occasion, the federal minister said the government is giving much attention to improve medical education in the country. He advised the fresh graduates to work religiously for the betterment of the nation and to serve humanity wholeheartedly.
Ahsan Iqbal said the medical graduates should plan well to work better and should not hesitate in serving population in peripheral areas of the country. He said the government spends a lot on medical education in public sector and in return, the graduates from public sector medical institutions should work hard to serve humanity.
Speaking on the occasion, the RMC Principal Professor Dr Muhammad Umar highlighted the establishment and progression of the college. He said the RMC was established in March 1974 at Faisalabad and shifted to its present premises in November the same year. The first batch comprised of only 100 students who were lodged in the library and museum. “From the humble beginning the college picked itself up to become one of the premier institutions of the country and to date, as many as 37 batches comprising 8422 doctors have graduated from the RMC,” he said. He added the RMC also trained doctors belonging to other regions of the world who are now playing important role in the health care and medical education in their own countries.
Professor Umar said that institutions are not built by bricks and mortar but owe their existence to the sweat and toil of the teaching faculty and students. The level of academic and research achievements of the college are considerable and offer a testimony to the dedication and untiring efforts of the past and present staff of the college, he said.
He added in medical research, the RMC has led from the front. It was among the first to establish a department of medical education and is first of government run medical colleges to publish not only a standard medical journal but a student section of it as well. “Besides serving the local population, our three tertiary care teaching hospitals cater to the needs of population from northern areas including Azad Kashmir and parts of the upper Punjab. In the past year, a total of 16, 95, 231 patients presented to the outpatient department of our three teaching hospitals. An additional one million patients were managed in the emergency department while 200000 were hospitalized,” he said.
Professor Umar said that being the first Rawalian Principal, maximum is being done by his team to improve basic and clinical teaching at RMC. He added the hospitals and departments are being improved with reference to infrastructure, equipments, and available facilities. State of the art Gastroenterology Unit is working at Holy Family Hospital.
Department of Emergency and Critical Care (DEC), Department of Infectious Disease (DID), Multi Organ Failure Unit (MOF) are few examples of the hectic efforts being done to improve patient management at the RMC allied hospitals, he said. For fresh graduates, he said medical science is advancing at a relentless, breath-taking pace and to keep abreast with the developments, a medical graduate has to remain a life-long student.
“It is expected that you will spare no effort in bringing a good name to the college by your selfless service to the country, service to ailing humanity, good professional conduct, and devotion to duty, honesty and further academic and professional achievement,” said Professor Umar.