Nishtarians
Nishtar Medical College & Hospital,
Multan
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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.
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, delivered by Dr. Mohammed Hafeez Toosy. 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 boy 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 2012[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. Professor Hayat Zafar later headed the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan. Professor Rauf Khan, Prof. Zafar Haider, and Prof. Gulzar Ahmed were among its longest-serving faculty.
In 2001, Nishtar Medical College celebrated its Golden Jubilee and Pakistan Post issued a five rupees postal stamp to commemorate the occasion.
The college publishes an annual magazine by the name Nishtar, and a quarterly published research journal, Nishtar Medical Journal.
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.
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.
Nishtar Medical College has the following departments:
Basic Health Sciences departments
Anatomy
Behavioral Science
Biochemistry
Community Medicine
Forensic Medicine
Pathology
Pharmacology
Physiology
Clinical Health Sciences departments
Dermatology
Medicine
Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Oncology
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
The college is recognized for undergraduate and post-graduate training by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Counci] and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan.
It is listed in the FAIMER International Medical Education Directory of International Medical Schools.[9] 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.
