The 82nd meeting of the Syndicate at the University of Health Sciences (UHS), chaired by Vice-Chancellor Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore, resulted in a series of significant decisions aimed at enhancing education and healthcare training in the region. Among the key approvals were updates to curricula, faculty appointments, and institutional partnerships.
A major initiative discussed was the need to revisit nursing colleges across Punjab to assess the alignment of their agreements with hospitals, ensuring consistent clinical training for students. Additionally, the Syndicate advocated for private nursing institutions to offer stipends comparable to those given at public colleges. The Syndicate also endorsed version 3.0 of the modular, integrated 2K23 curriculum for MBBS and officially backed the historic introduction of Pakistan’s first five-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme.
In line with its commitment to improving healthcare education, the Syndicate approved the launch of short, skill-based courses across BDS, pharmacy, nursing, and allied health programs. This initiative is expected to benefit roughly 150,000 students annually. Furthermore, a selection board recommended and confirmed faculty appointments, including Dr. Uruj Zehra as Professor of Anatomy and Dr. Sumaira Ehsan as Associate Professor of Medical Education, along with other academic positions.
The Syndicate also ratified the 2024 Regulations for MS, MD, and MDS Level III and IV programmes and discussed future plans to offer all Level IV programs currently managed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP). Notably, UHS finalised the framework for its pioneering five-year BDS programme, appointing Prof. Sarah Ghafoor as the Head of the Department of Dental Sciences.
Other important decisions included increasing the number of seats at Akhtar Saeed Dental College from 50 to 75 and affiliating the BS Nursing programmes of the Continental Institute of Nursing and the PKLI Institute of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences with UHS. As a result, nursing and allied health graduates from PKLI will now receive UHS degrees.
The Syndicate also approved provisional registration for postgraduate residents in Punjab’s government hospitals for 2023 and 2024. Additionally, University of Health Sciences (UHS) Service Statutes 2005 were sent for further processing, and new rules for hostel residents and student health services were approved. New non-official members were nominated to the Boards of Studies in Pharmacy and Nursing. The meeting concluded with the formation of an affiliation committee, tasked with inspecting potential nursing institution partnerships, and the delegation of responsibilities to the Vice-Chancellor for appointing the committee head.
The session was attended by notable members, including Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nadia Naseem and Registrar Kiran Fatima, among others, who contributed to the discussion of these far-reaching decisions.
