LAHORE: A Pakistan Sikh has made his community proud by topping a medical exam in the country. Mimpal Singh, a registrar with the prestigious Mayo Hospital, has topped the Diploma in Child Health exam of Services Institute of Medical Sciences. Singh became the first Pakistani Sikh to pass the DCH. Singh said that the Sikh community did not have access to such professional institutes because of a lack of quota system.
I am the first Sikh MBBS doctor in the country's history and want to serve my country, said Dr Mimpal Singh on Sunday. Born in Nankana Sahib, Singh said, "My Muslim patients like me a lot. I do not discriminate against my patients on the bases of caste, colour, creed or gender." He said he had set up a clinic, Sardar Ji Health Clinic, at Shadbagh. Singh said he was also running a non-government organisation, Guru Nanak Mission.
"Literacy rate among Pakistani Sikhs is low. There is only one Sikh officer in Pakistan Army and one is serving as a traffic warden in Lahore."
He said the government should review its policy regarding minorities' rights. He said poor but talented Sikh youth should be admitted to government and non-government educational institutes to help them get higher education. "Due to lack of facilities our Sikh youth cannot compete with other students."
He said he had set up several free medical camps across the country. He said he had cured many Sikh yatris (pilgrims) during their visit to Pakistan in the last four years. He said he would set up free medical camps at gurdwaras across the country. He quoted an adage, "Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."
- By Abdul Manan