The 57th convocation of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP), the country's leading institution for higher medical education, was held Thursday, awarding degrees to 970 specialists, including 807 fellows and 163 members, said a press release.
Distinguished guests included Professor Andrew Elder, President of the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh, and Punjab’s Health Minister Khawaja Muhammad Salman Rafique. Additionally, Pakistan’s first female General Officer, Lieutenant General Nigar Johar, and Professor SMM Niyas, President of the College of Surgeons Sri Lanka, graced the occasion as guests of honour.
Dr Asad Rahim, CPSP Regional Director from Birmingham, England also graced the event. CPSP officials from all four provinces, heads of medical institutions, and prominent figures from the medical field, including Dr. Amjad Saqib, Prof Akhter Sohail Chugtai, Prof Abdul Majeed Chaudhry, Maj. Gen Salman, Prof. Fareed Zafar, Prof Tariq Iqbal Bhutta, Prof Mukhtar Hasan Randhawa, Prof Khalil Rana as well as many other senior professors and the parents of the graduates also attended the convocation.
Senior Vice President of CPSP, Professor Dr Khalid Masood Gondal, administered the oath to the participants, urging them to uphold their pledge and commitment to serving humanity in their professional lives. CPSP President Professor Muhammad Shoaib Shafi, in his welcoming address, highlighted the college’s national and international contributions and congratulated the Fellows and their families on their achievements. He proposed to the government an increase in seats for postgraduate students and recommended continuing the postgraduate medical education program at the district level, emphasizing the importance of emergency medicine and ensuring quality patient care in major hospitals.
Three renowned international medical figures – Professor Andrew Elder from the UK, Professor SMM Niyas from Sri Lanka, and Professor Afzal Javed from the UK – were awarded honorary fellowships by the CPSP President. Dr. Muhammad Sultan-ul-Mozzam received the Professor Zafarullah Chaudhry Gold Medal in Gen Surgery, and Dr. Fatima Nawaz Khan was awarded the Professor Ambreen Afzal Ehsan Gold Medal in Prosthodontics.
Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique appreciated CPSP’s national and international services, reaffirming the government’s support in addressing the shortage of specialists in medical fields like emergency medicine and increasing seats in such specialties. He congratulated the fellows and their families, encouraging them to continue serving ailing humanity, as the purpose of their lives and assuring CPSP of the government’s full support and patronage.
In their speeches, Professor Andrew Elder and Professor SMM Niyas commended CPSP as an exceptional institution for higher medical education, emphasizing the importance of mutual collaboration to deliver quality patient care and research. They stressed the vital need for modern technology in the medical field.
At the conclusion of the convocation, the CPSP President presented diplomas to the Fellows and thanked the esteemed guests for their participation, presenting them with souvenirs.