JUST like any doctor, I wanted to save lives and to serve the people. After completing my house job, I moved to Canada to join my husband, dreaming about starting a medical career with advanced professional training. Once I completed the exams, I began applying for residencies in North America. However, years passed, and I was unable to secure a residency spot. As time went by, I became an older graduate with minimal to no chance of getting a residency.

I would often hear harsh comments, suggesting that I should consider other options. I was advised to return to Pakistan and practice independently for a couple of years to demonstrate recent practice. This was also not feasible for a variety of reasons.

Medicine was my sole passion, and after having worked diligently to earn my medical and qualifying exams, I simply could not bring myself to let it all go to waste. I thought to myself that I should explore alternative ways to practice medicine. It was at this rime that a friend introduced me to a platform active in Pakistan. I applied and started my practice within a month. The experience was incredibly satisfying to the doctor within me. People often asked me about my earnings, to which I replied that I was earning a lot of satisfaction and peace of mind; along with the stipend, of course.

I saw patients online on the platform from across Pakistan. In the clinics, I would often be connected to many women who had never been to a hospital or a health- care facility. Very simple basic ailments that just needed proper medical care were often ignored, left to go worse.

In due course of time, I also became active on the mobile app of the platform, serving a completely different demo-graphic where most of my patients would be associated with leading corporate brands. These comprised families of employees working for such organisa-tions who needed to reach out to physicians in hours where consultation clinics were generally not functional, like late in the night in Pakistan, which corresponded to my mornings in Canada.

During all this while, I continued to explore opportunities in North America, and in time I received a job alert for a physician position in Canada, requiring doctors with recent professional experience. I hesitated to apply, thinking they might not accept online practice. Luckily, I decided to give it a try.

The licensing authority requested references by the platform I was working with, and the co-founders there were professional enough to provide one. The licensing authority here accepted the reference, and granted me the licence. I have been working as a licensed physician in Canada since May 2023.

A Pakistani platform coming to the rescue of an overseas Pakistani pro- fessional is not something one gets to hear often. I was lucky, indeed.

I am continuing to work with the platform as a part-time general physician, and will do that for as long as I possibly can. It was there for me when nothing else was.

Dr Atiya Tul-Quddoos
Nova Scotia, Canada

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2024