Letter to SMC Alumni by Principal, SMC

It is great pleasure to know that SMCians have organized Alumni in USA 
and are rendering excellent academic and professional service, thus bringing
new laurels to their parent institution Sindh Medical College, Karachi,
Pakistan. 

It is heartening to see that old students of this college also realize the 
fact that their college should provide medical education in the best possible 
way and in this regard they are very enthusiastic to help. We are also looking 
towards our own blood to help us in raising the academics of the college, so as
to be ranked as the top medical institute of the country. In this regard we are 
putting up some urgent needs of the college and hope by providing these, you 
will render tremendous service to your parent institution. At present we are 
conducting regular class tests for which we are still using stencil machine, 
the system which has become obsolete and time consuming. Plain paper Laser 
Photocopier machine if provided will help a lot in conducting class tests in a 
much better way. Moreover VideoCassettes for teaching purposes will also be 
needed as now all departments have been provided with Televisions and VCR's.  
Supply of regular Medical Journals on different subjects will help a lot to 
both the teachers as well as the students.

The supply of above items by the Alumni will be the first symbol of your 
attachment and regard for your "parent institution".  In future we will look 
for more teaching material, supply/equipments, as we have great expectations 
from our Graduates.  It is hoped that the relationship, started now, will grow 
with the passage of time and liason will improve.

In the end, I wish the best of luck to the Alumni and pray for its progress 
with each passing day from my side as well as teachers of Sindh Medical College.

With Regards,
Cordially Yours,
Dr. S. Naseeruddin
Principal & Chairman Academic Council
Sindh Medical College, Karachi.

· IMGs make up approximately 23% of the US Physician population and 24% of 
  resident physicians.
· The heaviest concentration of IMGs is in New Jersey (44% of doctors); New York
  (41%); West Virginia (34.8%); and Illinois (34.3%)
· Almost half of IMGs (48%) train in primary care specialties vs. 33% of U.S.
  graduates.
· The largest national group is from India (19.5% of total).
· Of the 154,576 total IMG population, 130,741 (85%) are in patient care, 7.6 (5%) are
  in medical teaching, administration or research, and the remainder 10% are not
  classified, are inactive or have an unknown address.
· Of the 22,230 IMGs who are in residency training or are clinical fellows, more than 
  4,000 are American citizens, 8,200 are immigrants or permanent residents, and 8900 
  are on visitor exchange visa.

IMGs: Country of origin
1. India - 19.5%
2. Pakistan - 11.9%
3. Philippines - 8.8%
4. Ex-USSR - 3.1%
5. Egypt - 2.6%
6. Dominican Republic - 2.5%
7. Syria - 2.5%
8. United Kingdom - 2.4%
9. Germany - 2.3%
10. Mexico - 1.8%

IMGs: Specialty participation
· Internal Medicine - 20.9% (32,242)
· General/Family Practice - 9.8% (15,065)
· Pediatrics - 9.3% (14,352)
· Psychiatry - 7.0% (10,767)
· Anesthesiology - 5.7% (8,826)
· General Surgery - 5.2% (7,987)
· Obstetrics/Gynecology - 4.6% (7,138)
· Pathology - 3.5% (5,439)
· Cardiovascular Diseases - 3.3% (5,024)

Source: American Medical Association


HIGHLIGHT OF RESIDENCY MATCH 1988
The National Resident Matching Program is the primary route by which applicants to 
residency programs obtain training positions at U.S. teaching hospitals.  This year a total 
of 20,299 first-year residency positions were offered in the match.  Eighty-eight percent 
of the positions available in the Match were filled, the highest rate in the past seven years. 
There is at least 3,000 more first-year positions available in residency programs that do 
not participate in the Match.  There were 26,360 individuals including US graduates and 
IMG's who participated in the Match. Of the total participant, 18,197 or 69%, were 
matched with a residency program. US graduates filled residency positions at a rate of 
66.3%, were as, out of 7,957 IMG's (non-US citizen) that participated this year, matched 
at a rate of 31.4%, down from 34.5% in 1997.

Source: American Medical Association

· Dr. Agha W. Haider appointed as Fellow Preventive Cardiology, BWH and VAMC, 
  Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
· Dr. Waseem Ul Haq appointed as Chief Resident, (7/98-6/99) Internal Medicine, 
  Maryland General Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.
· Congratulations to Dr Muhammad I. Kaleem, Dr. Aftab Ahmed, Dr. Naushaba Rizvi, 
  Dr. M. Yaqoob Shaikh and Dr. Haider Naqvi for passing their Internal Medicine Boards.
· Dr. Moniz M. Dawood passed his Cardiology Boards.
· The following SMCians will enter First-Year Residencies in July 1998: Dr. Khawaja 
  Hussain Abbass, Int. Medicine (NY), Dr. Pushpa Kumari, Internal Medicine (WV),  
  Dr. Rana Suleman, Int. Medicine (MA), M. Iqbal Ahmed, Pschyciatry (LA) and Dr. Tehseen 
  Javed Siddique, Int. Medicine (IW).
· Dr. Shahid Idrees after completing pediatric residency from Brookdale Hospital, NY 
  will be joining a practice in Tennessee.
· Dr. Shahid Riaz started his Neurology practice in Alabama.