PAKISTAN is a struggling nation. The country spends billions of rupees on the education of medical students in public-sector universities. But they either opt to move abroad for greener pastures or remain out of the healthcare labour force.

According to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), the country has produced 200,000 doctors since the independence. The data from the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment shows that 30,000 doctors have left Pakistan since 1970. On an average, 1,000 doctors settle abroad every year. As per the Labour Force Survey 2020-21 by Gallup, 36,000 female doctors are either jobless or have chosen not to serve.

Many of the doctors usually switch to other professions, such as civil services, after getting heavily subsidised medical education. The government provides Rs4 million subsidy to each medical student in the public sector. In return, they opt not to serve or even pay back.

In Pakistan, the doctor-patient ratio is 1:1,300, while the minimum suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for developing nations is 1:1,000. Considering this scenario, people are bound to suffer.

To change this trend, it is suggested that the government should introduce compulsory service for the doctors who study in public-sector institutions. After one year of house job, they should be contracted to at least serve for three to four years so that they at least pay back what the country has spent on them to make them doctors.

Almost every government-run medical education institution has an attached teaching hospital. The graduates can serve there or in a nearby hospital depending on the policy designed by the government. This initiative will improve the poor doctor-patient ratio in the country and help improve the ailing healthcare sector. Moreover, it will give doctors professional experience, and will reduce their known aversion to serving in public hospitals.

Muhammad Mohtasim
Mandi Bahauddin

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2024