KARACHI – As many as 14,150 candidates took the entrance test for admission to medical universities and colleges at five examination centres in the province on Sunday.The test was held at five centres in Karachi, Hyderabad, Nawabshah, Larkana and Sukkur simultaneously. In all, 1700 seats are available in MBBS and BDS programmes in medical universities and colleges in the province. In Karachi, the entrance test for admissions to the Dow Medical College (DMC), Sindh Medical University (SMU) and Lyari Medical University were held peacefully on the main campus of the NED Engineering University, under the supervision of the National Testing System (NTS).  The NTS charged around Rs1,000 from each candidate for the test. As many as 4,900 candidates appeared in Karachi centre, where strict security measures were taken to handle any untoward situation. Hundreds of police and rangers personnel were deployed in and outside the NED University, while ambulances and a fire brigade were also kept on high alert. It was decided officially that the salient features of the last year admission policy would remain intact, while four seats would be reserved at the Lyari Medical College for students from Gilgit-Baltistan.Special Secretary Health Dr Suresh Kumar told TheNation that the tests were smoothly held in five cities of the province. He said, “As many as 14,150 candidates appeared in the test against 1700 seats available in the Dow Medical College, Sindh Medical University, Layari Medical University, Liaquat Medical College (LMC) – Hyderabad, Chandca Medical College – Larkana, Ghulam Muhammad Mehar Medical College (GMMMC), Sukkur; People’s Medical College, Nawabshah. As many as 4,900 candidates appeared in Karachi centre for 350 seats in the Dow Medical College, 350 seats in SMU and 100 in Layari; 4,500 in Hyderabad for 350 seats in LMC; 2,800 in Larkana for 250 seats in the Chandka Medical College; 1,550 in Sukkur for 100 seats in the GMMMC, 400 in Nawabshah for 200 seats in the People’s Medical College.” Talking about the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), he said that there were 250 seats available in various institutions of Sindh. “A total of 100 seats are available in the Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan Institute of Oral Health Sciences, 100 in the LUMS and 50 in the Chandka Medical College, he added. An official of the DUHS said that as many as 700 seats were available at the DMC and SMU, while the DMC had 228 general merit seats, 55 seats for locals under the University Education Development Programme, 16 seats for foreign nationals under the UEDP, 12 seats for overseas Pakistanis under the UEDP and 16 seats under the Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme, one seat for disabled students and 22 seats for students from the interior of Sindh. He said that a total 100 BDS seats were available at the Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan Institute of Oral Health Sciences, out of which 60 would be offered on merit basis; 34 were reserved for locals and six for overseas Pakistanis under the UEDP.