KARACHI, Nov 8: The Karachi Medical and Dental College (KMDC) on Friday released the final list of 80 candidates selected for admission to first-year MBBS and BDS classes for the academic session 2002-2003.

Official sources said about 1,927 students had appeared in the entrance test conducted by the College of Business Management. This was for the first time that the college engaged an institution other than the IBA for holding the test.

The IBA’s reputation in holding aptitude and entrance tests was undermined last year when a massive scam was unearthed in the case of tests of medical colleges of the Sindh government.

“Though in our case, the role of the IBA remained undisputed for years, it were the high charges as demanded by the institute this year which did not suit us and we finally approached a couple of other institutions, including the AKU and the NED University for a transparent entrance test,” said a source.

This year, similar to that of the NED university test, students were provided with a carbonized copy of their answer scripts along with a master key, which helped the students assess their position.

The selected students have been asked to obtain admission and medical forms from the student section and get medical fitness certificate from the community medicine and pathology departments of the KMDC and submit the fee at the accounts department.

Last date for medical fitness, deposition of fee and submission of original documents is Nov 22, both for MBBS and BDS admission.

The principal of the college, Prof Saadiya Aziz Karim, said the college had been under pressure for increasing the number of seats and efforts were being made in this regard. She added that after completion of some new academic blocks and appointment of teachers, the college would surely be in a position to make a 100 per cent increase in seats.

To a question, she said due to the continued ban on appointment of faculty members, there was a considerable shortage of teaching staff. “Though we have not been provided with staff as sanctioned, we are still maintaining a good teacher-student ration at the college,” she said, adding that induction of new staff and addition of some other facilities would help meet the requirements of the University of Karachi, which recognizes the KMDC and awards degrees to its graduates.

Following is the list of selected candidates:

MBBS: Kiran Wahab, Sadaf Qadeer Ahmed, M. Raheel, Tehmina Feroze, Mehwish Jaffari, Sumera Riaz, Mahwish Khalid, Erum Aziz, Shiwah Zain, Syed Urooj Riaz, Bushra Khan, Ayesha Ahmad, Fatima Abbasi, Mehreen Moosa, Rashida Mehmood, Sana Saifuddin, Hiya Najeeb, Mehwish Wajid, Ayesha Rauf, Sheeza Imtiaz, Ramla Nayab, Sadia Rashid, S. M. Ali, Ayesha Jawaid, Sehrish Nadyme, Umaira Rasool,