Fatima Jinnah Medical University Lahore

OVERVIEW:

Fatima Jinnah Medical University, located in Lahore, Punjab, is home to an unparalleled medicine programme that targets female health oriented academic development. The medical University was established by the Government to cope the need of an immediate institution to train woman for medical profession. The University was named after Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah to honor her relation and support to her brother Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. Fatima Jinnah was a role model for Pakistani women as she herself was professionally a dentist and contributed much in the struggle of freedom.

Before independence, the university was owned by a notable Hindu family who started Balak Ram hospital in the building. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, is a medical institution founded, during the pre-partition period and till now is serving as an affiliated hospital with the university. The purpose of setting –up Fatima Jinnah medical college is to teach and train female doctors and post-graduate students and to provide healthcare facilities to Lahore and surrounding residents.

Currently, about 1500 students are enrolled in this HEC recognized university. The degree is granted by the University of Punjab, recognized by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. The Health Department of Pakistan has given the status of the Medical University to Fatima Jinnah medical college on June 30, 2015 and the principal ‎Dr. Sardar Fakhar Imam was appointed as the first Vice Chancellor of the University.

History:

In 1941, Mrs. Balak Ram, daughter in Law of late Sir Ganga Ram and her son L. Sri Ram started BALAK Ram Medical College in a newly purchased bungalow at Queen’s Road Lahore. It started functioning in 1942, with a batch of 50 Students. The newly established Sir Ganga Ram Hospital situated opposite the College building was affiliated with the college .It was a -125 bed hospital at the time of independence.

After the independence the college was abolished ,later, to manage the problem of few female doctors in the country , the medical professional from King Edward Medical college, Prof. Shujaat Ali with the help of his scholastic team enliven the dream of setting up a medical institution in the Balak Ram college premises for teaching female doctors. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah himself approved the idea and named the institution after his sister Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah. This newly built women medical college in Lahore gave admission to 39 students in October 1948 and was formally inaugurated in March 1949 by Khawaja Nazim-ud-Din, the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital was established in 1921 in Lahore by a Hindu philanthropist Sir Ganga Ram. The hospital was shifted to its present location in 1943 to work in affiliation with Balak Ram medical college and since then the hospital is affiliated with the oppositely built medical university.

Infrastructure:

The infrastructure of Fatima Jinnah medical University Lahore has experienced many changes since its foundation .Currently, though the building is the same that was renovated after independence, however, on an area of about 314 kanals premises like college laboratories and libraries have been updated and equipped with latest medical and learning tools. The lecture theatres and seminar room are integrated with multi-media provisions. An electronic library is now serving at the university with the free provision of 12500 medical journals with abstracts .H.E.C. networking of all departments of college and hospital is being planned with linkages. The central Library renders free internet facility.

A seven –block hostel is established for student’s boarding lodging, accommodating 1000 students. Out- door sports, indoor games, a gymnasium and a swimming pool are present at the premises to facilitate the students.

Mission:

The mission is to train females in health care services as well as to upgrade health provision methodologies across the nation .The Fatima Jinnah Medical University Lahore functions on the following objectives: