TWO years ago, I was serving as a medical officer in Saudi Arabia. My salary, in rupee terms, was about Rs500,000 with free medical facility, furnished family residence and two return tickets to Pakistan every year. During my stay there, I cleared the Saudi licence exam, and had the international medical practice licence for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Following the announcement of the positions of medical officers by the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) in 2018, I quit my job and returned to Pakistan to serve my people.

The SPSC had announced 1,783 posts of doctors in the Sindh Health Department and only a few hundred candidates could qualify the written test and the interview in the first phase. I was among those few. Many of the posts were re-advertised in different phases to fill the vacancies.

As is true of all competitive examinations, when the number of candidates is higher than the vacancies available, only the top ones are offered the employment.

After all the seats had been filled up, some women doctors filed a petition in the Sindh High Court which annulled all the examinations that had been held since the publication of the original advertisement. More than 1,700 doctors lost their jobs. I was one of them.

We already face brain drain, losing qualified professionals, including doctors, to other countries. I and, indeed, many others serving abroad may not return to serve Pakistan in the future.

Moreover, it may affect the national healthcare delivery mechanism at a time when we need more doctors in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Name withheld on request

Hyderabad

INDIAN CONTENT: The cable operator in my area — Block 3, PECHS, Karachi — has started showing Indian television content, including multiple movie channels. When I told him I would lodge a complaint with the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), he asked me to go ahead as, according to him, the authority was already aware of it. I urge the authorities to take action against all those found involved in blatantly violating government orders in this regard.

Junaid Khan

Karachi

ILLEGAL CATTLE MARKET: A small illegal cattle market has been set up at a vacant plot near Madina Masjid in Block 17 of Federal B Area under the supervision of someone with influence. This practice has been going on since the last few years. The residents have raised their concerns with the local authorities, but nothing has happened for the better. The law-enforcement authorities should take immediate and effective action so that the residents may find peace once again.

Nabeel Ahmed

Karachi

PEACEKEEPING FORCE: This is with reference to the report ‘Pakistan for deployment of global force to save Palestinians’ (May 21). There are several examples of UN peacekeeping forces having been sent to conflict zones in Africa to save lives and humanity. There is nothing unusual or unprecedented in the Foreign Office’s call to send assistance for the beleaguered citizens of Gaza.

Rafi Ahmed

Karachi

TRAINING FOR TEACHERS: National and international institutions conduct trainings for teachers in Pakistan almost every year. The education department concerned selects people on the basis of favouritism. Such nepotism and fraudulent practices have damaged the education sector. All teachers should be provided an equal and fair opportunity to participate in these training sessions so that they may become conversant with modern teaching methodologies.

Guldar Ali Khan Wazir

Loralai

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2021