Are you a young doctor in Pakistan? Run

Are you a doctor in Pakistan? Have you just graduated and are about to begin your house job? Or are you possibly in your last couple of years of med school? For that matter are you even a mid-career young-doctor working as a PG Trainee or an MO? If any of these apply to you, we have a piece of advice: run. Give whatever test you need to, find whatever opportunity you can in a different country, take your skills, and leave. 

Young doctors in Pakistan are being robbed blind. As one of the most highly skilled professionals in the country, they are overworked and underpaid. And unless you have either the right connections, a wealthy background, or access to the correct institutions setting up a private practice (which is where the money is at) is next to impossible. 

A bad financial decision

There are two kinds of medical students. Those that go to government medical colleges and those that go to private ones. While the private ones are dreadfully expensive, costing on average Rs 5-6 million for a full ride through five years, the pay-off is far from immediate and difficult to achieve. And even for those studying on subsidised rates at government colleges the path to financial stability is paved with uncertainty. 

After MBBS, a student starts working as an HO (House Officer)- what is commonly known as House Job. A fresh graduate isn’t licensed to be a medical practitioner. The Pakistan Medical Council (PMC) issues a temporary licence. An HO becomes an MO (Medical Officer) if they begin working immediately after the completion of their House Job. In case they pursue further training (i.e. specialisation), they’re known as PGs — post-graduate trainees.