South Asian Business news and information

Physicians are very important people in both developed and underdeveloped countries. Pakistan is no different from this but the major problem is, being a developing country, many medical students go abroad to pursue higher education and do not return.

In an article published in Daily Times, it is said that, per year, 6,800 physicians are produced in Pakistan. This 6,800 includes students of thirty nine domestic medical colleges and students who study in abroad.  I am quoting from the report:

"Causes of physician loss include emigration and cessation (or diminution) of practice for a variety of reasons, including migration.

The researchers estimate that 1,700 physicians per year are lost from the pool of practicing physicians. The Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment estimates that annually about 1,000 to 1,500 physicians leave the country, of whom 10-15% return, for a net migration of 900 to 1,275 physicians. They can account for 1,150 emigrating physicians per year. Of this number, they estimate that 418 (the number starting graduate medical education in 2004 according to the Association of American Medical Colleges' GMEtrack database to 500 emigrate to the US. As 4.4% of IMGs in the United Kingdom are from Pakistan, and there were 4,185, 4,325, and 5,904 IMGs in the United Kingdom (2000-2002), they have calculated expected annual emigration to the United Kingdom as 260. They extrapolated that 16 emigrate to Canada annually and 6 to Australia."

Brain drain is not only a major problem in Pakistan but also in other South Asian countries. Many brilliant students can not resist the temptation of money and the facilities available for physicians in developed countries. So they settle in those countries. The best way to cope with this problem is to provide better facilities to those students in the country, so that after they finish their study in abroad they return home help their countrymen.

Daily Times