Dow Medical College | Here Is Everything You Need To Know About It

After more than five decades of exemplary service to the community, Dow Medical College has become become part of the Dow University of Health Sciences. Here's all you need to know about it.

Dow Medical College, or what has now become the Dow University of Health Sciences, is among the oldest institutions of medical education in Pakistan and one that is highly prized by aspiring medical students across the country.

History

Situated in Karachi, the Dow Medical College was set up in neighbouring Hyderabad in the year 1941. Contemplations and demands for moving the college to Karachi began almost right away, finally culminating in the college’s re-inauguration in Karachi in December 1945 by Sir Hugh Dow, then governor of Sindh. It remained an affiliate of University of Bombay until 1947, but was placed under the command of University of Sindh after the independence of India. The institution became an affiliate of the University of Karachi once the university was founded in 1951, while it was given official recognition by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council in 1953. In 2003, the Dow University of Health Sciences was established as an independent degree-awarding institution, with Dow Medical College and two other colleges being absorbed into the university.

Despite the numerous changes, the institution remains one of the premier medical colleges in Pakistan and scores high on HEC ranking. It is a pioneer in the field of medical education, research and community services. Civil Hospital Karachi is the teaching hospital of Dow Medical College, while the university’s own teaching hospital, the Dow University Hospital, is a 1,000+ bed medical facility with state-of-the-art equipment

Premises/Location

The old campus of the Dow Medical College is located along the main MA Jinnah Road in Karachi, right on Baba-e-Urdu/Mission Road. The university is in close proximity to some of the busiest parts of town, including Kharadar, Landa Bazaar, Burns Road, Bolton Market etc, and is only a short distance away from Saddar, Empress Market, Teen Talwar Clifton and PAF Museum. The newer campus of the DUHS, called the OJHA campus, is located in Gulzar-e-Hijri, close to Karachi University.

Degree Programmes/Faculty

The Dow Medical College maintains a flagship MBBS programme that has produced some of the finest medical professionals working in Pakistan and abroad. However, the Dow University of Health Sciences offers a wide variety of bachelors and masters educational degrees in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, physiotherapy, bio-medical engineering, medical technology, nutritional sciences, applied sciences and business administration.

It also offers a host of certifications and diploma programmes in varied disciplines such as family medicine, medical jurisprudence, cardiology and child health etc.

The undergraduate degree programmes at DUHS can be divided among MBBS, BS and bachelors programmes, while postgraduate degree programmes include masters, MBA, MPHIL, and MS programmes.

The university engages a distinguished pool of medical specialists and professionals as faculty members, all of which are leading experts in their fields. The university has more than 850 qualified faculty members who have gathered academic and professional credentials from some of the best institutions of the world.

Departments/School

Besides the Dow Medical College, the university has a number of other colleges and institutes that offer top quality medical education to its students. These include the Dow International Medical College, Dow International Dental College, Dow Dental College, Dow College of Pharmacy, Dow College of Biotechnology, School of Public Health and Dow School of Biomedical Engineering and Technology.

Besides the main colleges, the university also a number of institutes, including Ojha Institute Of Chest Diseases, Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan Institute of Oral Health Sciences, National Institute of Diabetes And Endocrinology, National Institute of Liver and GI Diseases, Dow Institute of Health Professionals Education, Institute of Nursing, Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan Institute of Blood Diseases, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Dow Institute of Radiology, Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Dow Institute of Medical Technology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Institute of Health Management. To find more details about specific departments and their offerings, visit the Dow University of Health Sciences website.

International Collaborations

DUHS has signed numerous international linkages with leading international universities, including with University of Illinois, Chicago and University of Louisville, Kentucky. These understandings enable DUHS final year students to go for various programmes, courses, and electives at these prestigious institutions, offering a global perspective to their training and education.

Fees and Financial Aid/Scholarships

The university fee structure for undergraduate programme ranges from Rs 500,000 to Rs 600,000 per year for the MBBS degree programme, Rs 200,000 to Rs 600,000 per year for the BDS degree programme, and Rs 100,000 to Rs 300,000 per annum for the doctor of pharmacy degree programme. The fee for the BS degree programmes ranges between Rs 100,000 and Rs 200,000 per year, while the BBA degree programme costs Rs 80,000 to 100,000 per annum.

The university fee structure for postgraduate programme ranges from Rs 60,000 to Rs 100,000 per semester for all master’s degree programmes.

Financial Aid

To facilitate talented individuals continue with their education, the DUHS offers numerous scholarships to its students that include both public and private aid. These include Sindh Endowment Education scholarship, University of Karachi Alumni Association (UKAA), Abdullah T Wehwaria and Farhat Aleem Trust Scholarship, Ministry of Minority and Religious Affairs, Minority Scholarship, Dr Abdul Aziz Khan Scholarship, Punjab Education Endowment Fund Scholarship, Office of the Deputy Commissioner Tharparkar, Scheduled Caste Students Tharparkar scholarship, Professional Education Foundation and Meezan Bank - Ihsan Trust Qarz-e-Hasna.

Financial aid and loans are also provided by DUHS that include fully funded MS and PhD scholarships to students from various Muslim countries, besides a student study loan scheme (interest-free loan). These study loans are offered to students who hail from various socio-economic backgrounds and can be applied to by submitting an application form to the financial aid office. A thorough scrutiny unusually follows the application. HEC Need Based Scholarships are also offered to talented students per the HEC policy.

Facilities/Student Life

The university not only provides high-quality academic prospects to its students, but also offers numerous facilities such as well-equipped laboratories, IT labs and C-labs.

The university also provides ample sports facilities that include a sports complex, cricket ground, gymnasium, swimming pool, jogging track, squash and tennis courts and a football ground.Recreational activities are routine occurrences at the campus, with the annual picnic, ghazal nights, movie nights, and welcome and farewell parties and sports events being regular features of the university calendar.

An active student counselling centre offers support and assistance to students in relation to academic, personal, professional issues and problems. Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) is also operational at DUHS and facilitates clinical trials management, allowing students to gain expertise in planning and executing their research programmes.

The Professor Muhammad Ali Shah Library has over 20,000+ books and journals, a reading room for students and faculty members, reference service, online access, physical journal and CDS to name a just few of the facilities.

The university also has a Skills Lab that includes dummies, simulators and other modern equipment to aide studies. The research department of DUHS publishes the Journal of Dow University of Health Sciences (JDUHS) that covers an extensive range of topics and is published thrice a year. The journal is approved by PMDC & HEC and is indexed in IMEMR, PakMediNet, and CABI.

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DUHS also administers a welfare programme that is operated by Dow Vocational Training Centre (DVTC). The centre facilitates training and vocational programmes to students hailing from low socio economic background.

DUHS also organizes training workshops that offer hands-on experience and professional training through programmes administered by the Professional Development Centre (PDC). The centre organizes seminars, lectures, conferences, and symposiums on a regular basis. The facility also has a simulated ICU and operation theatre, training halls, conference rooms, modern equipment and audio and visual systems to assist students in enhancing their skills and abilities.

Hostel & Transport

The university has a purpose-built hostel that offers countless amenities to its residents, including a cafeteria, library, guest room, common room, dining room and a mosque. The university also has a fleet of buses that ply various routes across the city. Besides, both campuses of DUHS are located in busy parts of the metropolis, meaning accessing them is fairly easy through private or public transport.

So there you have it! We have listed everything we think you will need to get started in your quest to land a place in this historic institution. Do you think we missed something? Or would you like to know more about the university? Let us know with your comments in the section below. Alternatively, you can send in an email to mail@academiamag.com in case you have a query.