Staff Reporter
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Friday approved the new admission policy for public and private medical and dental colleges, fixing the admission fee at $20,000 for children of overseas Pakistanis and making the MDCAT test mandatory for entry into government medical colleges.Under the policy, candidates seeking admission to private medical colleges will deposit one-third of the admission fee with the University of Health Sciences (UHS) after their names appear on the provisional list. The amount will later be transferred to the college concerned following the final merit list, while students will directly pay the remaining fee.Chairing a special health sector meeting, the CM also endorsed compulsory service in private hospitals after postgraduate training, adding that trainee doctors would be sent for specialisation in fields where demand exists.Maryam highlighted recent achievements, including the first successful angioplasty and commencement of surgeries at the Sahiwal Cardiac Centre. She directed Mayo Hospital to ensure transparent treatment of cancer patients at its Co-Ablation Centre, stressing that every cancer patient must be treated without exception.The CM further approved the construction of medical blocks in government universities instead of separate medical colleges, and sanctioned boards of management for key health institutions. She reiterated her vision that poor patients in Punjab should receive medical treatment “without spending even a single penny”.She also ordered expedited steps for the establishment of Nawaz Sharif Medical City in Lahore, terming it vital for advanced healthcare in the province.Meanwhile, on the directives of Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz, the CM Free WiFi Service has been significantly expanded across the province to provide the public with easier access to digital facilities.According to official figures, free WiFi is now operational at 442 locations in Lahore, benefiting hundreds of thousands of users daily.So far, more than 58.04 million users have consumed a total of 1,191 terabytes of data, with average daily usage of 4.5 TB and around 350,000 usersper day.The service is no longer limited to Lahore alone; it has been extended to 952 hotspots across 23 districts, including Lahore, Kasur, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Multan, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Jhelum, Okara, Sheikhupura, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Mianwali, Bhakkar, Muzaffargarh, and Hafizabad.In the next phase, free internet service will also be provided in 450 government girls’ colleges across Punjab.
