LARKANA, June 3: The fate of a proposal to set up a dental college in the city hangs in the balance as the development wing of the ministry of health, Sindh, has not included the proposal in the Annual Development Programme 2005-2006. Sources in the district government told this correspondent here on Friday that in 2004, a proposal was floated to set up a dental college in the city in view of the fact that due to the setting up of the Sardar Ghulam Mohammad Medical College in Sukkur as well as regular reduction in medical seats, number of the students at the Chandka Medical College had been reduced to nearly half of the original strength.

The district government had agreed to bear 30 per cent of the expenses, while the provincial government was to bear the rest, the sources added.

Dr Ghulam Hussain Shaikh, provincial health (dental) director, in a letter to the health secretary, dated October 10, 2004, had said that the college would admit candidates from the districts of the old jurisdiction of the CMC– Larkana, Dadu, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Sukkur, Ghotki and Khairpur Mirs’.

District Nazim Khursheed Junejo said that since 1963, no dental college, apart from the dental section in the Liaquat Medical College, had been set up in the province in the public sector.

Apprehending the non-inclusion of the scheme in the ADP 2005-2006, the district nazim, in a letter to the additional development secretary, dated May 30, called for including the scheme in the public sector development programme next year.

It was learnt that the Sindh health department had, in principle, agreed upon the feasibility report and the additional chief secretary (development) had endorsed the scheme after getting it approved from the Sindh finance department.

It may be noted that since independence, only seven dental colleges in the country are functioning in the public sector, while 11 are in the private sector.