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Saudi Arabia to import thousands of Pakistani doctors

I'm not trying to be a troll but this is actually very bad for doctors. That's like 25,000 INR? That's how much a mere receptionist in some XYZ company/ call centre employee makes in India? And I'm sure the situation in Pakistan is not much different?

You are right. Even with all that studying, hard work and saving people's lives, doctors make nothing in Pakistan. Hopefully when Imran Khan comes to power, doctors will get more respect and enough money needed so they can live a comfortable life in Pakistan.
 
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I'm not trying to be a troll but this is actually very bad for doctors. That's like 25,000 INR? That's how much a mere receptionist in some XYZ company/ call centre employee makes in India? And I'm sure the situation in Pakistan is not much different?

A receptionist does not make 25k in India. Nor does every call center guy. Dont generalize things.
Govt employees are paid differently than market rates, even in India.

Also, govt is able to pay now a days because it has money. Before it was too less.
 
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"import"...as if they are some things....better choice of words would have been good....
 
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Another proof that the corrupt government is to blame for the exodus of doctors from the country.

Confessions of Pakistani doctors

We all grew up hearing the importance of medicine sciences and most of us were encouraged to adopt it as a profession. We were told that serving humanity, saving lives and helping people in distress is an essential component of developed societies, which is truly noble and fulfilling in their own way. In fact, doctors were considered the epitome of prestige and grace in Pakistani society, an echelon which remained unmatched by all the other significant and emerging professions.

However, the situation has changed drastically over a period of time. The plight of Pakistani doctors reverberates across the globe and remains an open question mark to our ‘political leaderships’ and law enforcing agencies. It is not just the security of these professionals which is at stake in our country but it is also the ‘wellbeing’ and ‘health’ of the nation which is impeded by not providing them with protection and justice.

New Year across the world is marked with ceremonies and resolutions, however, the last few days of 2011 were marked by the brutal deaths of various doctors in Pakistan, including police surgeon Dr. Syed Baqir Shah, who was the primary forensic investigator responsible to probe into the famous ‘Kharotabad incident’.

Slain doctors are not an uncommon sight in Pakistan and serve as a deterrent for people to work as one. Saying that the deteriorating political and security situation in the country is threatening everyone, sounds extremely clichéd but it sums up the sense of insecurity which is acting as a noose tightening around our necks, with the passage of every single day.

A young doctor who now serves at New York University Medical Centre, on being asked what brought about his move from Pakistan and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), on the condition of anonymity, said, “When I joined JPMC, I was very excited about my work and practise because the traffic in government hospitals and constant flow of variety of patients help young professionals to learn immensely within a short span of time. I remember being called on emergency duty after a bomb exploded in a local mosque. Ambulances stacked with wounded and dead came pouring in from everywhere which was a traumatic experience in itself.

“However, one of the people representing a local political faction came in with a dead body and pointed a gun at me demanding to ‘cure’ the patient. I was in a state of shock because I knew that the ‘man in question’ was already dead. The ‘pointed gun’ and the man scared the living daylights out of me and I decided to put the ‘corpse’ on ventilator because I knew I had no other way out. From that day onwards I really did not feel thrilled to work for Pakistan or the Pakistani people.”

Another doctor who resigned from Civil Hospital and now runs a private clinic narrated his experience saying, “I left because most of the officials working as Head of the Departments are assigned their respective positions because of their ‘political affiliations’. Moreover, they feel threatened by anyone who has a command over research and is more competent, hence ‘references’ supersede ‘academics’.”

He added, “Induction and career growth through reference is a common ‘modus operandi’ in Pakistan but the reason why I resigned was specifically because of insecurity and injustice prevalent in the government sector. Patients admitted in intensive care units (ICUs) are given priority as per their respective ailments and issues. However, someone with a political background would always demand more attention and his/her ‘accompaniments’ would ‘order’ all the doctors to stand by the bed, neglecting other patients. This generally took place with the help of ‘armed men’ ready to kill the doctors on a whim.”

Death of a political or religious figure generally sparks a spate of vandalism and arson attacks, resulting in further damage to the already derelict government hospitals. Political factors, contributing toward harming doctors and obstructing justice, are depriving Pakistani society with the best of resources.

The exodus of doctors to more civilised countries is bringing about a constant decline in our ‘intellectual pool’ making health facilities more and more expensive. Furthermore, doctors leaving government hospitals for private institutions are creating a gap between the poor masses of Pakistan and appropriate health measures, a gap which is widening by the day.

Brain drain remains one of the many reasons why Pakistan has not progressed much since the time of its establishment. Lack of benefits and being underpaid are clearly not the only factors which ‘shoo’ our doctors away. Defensive mechanisms and proper protection to ensure the interests of doctors are much needed in Pakistan. Without protection brain drain would not cease to continue and will only add on more to our woes and predicaments.

Confessions of Pakistani doctors | Blog | DAWN.COM
 
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very sad to hear that

Aage hi Pakistan main doctors ki qami hai aur jo rah gaye thay... aise chalay jayen ge :(
 
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Saudi Arabia to import thousands of Pakistani doctors

By Ali Usman

318194-doctormedical-1326004583-614-640x480.jpg

Govt agency offering doctors triple their salaries to work in Saudi hospitals.

LAHORE: Dr Nawaz* (not his real name) is a medical officer (MO) at Mayo Hospital and, like all government-employed doctors in BPS-17, got a Rs15,000 raise last year, taking his monthly pay to Rs44,000. Yesterday, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health offered him a job for 6,000 riyals (Rs145,000) a month.

“It’s a handsome offer. I’m going to take it,” said the doctor after an interview with the Overseas Employment Corporation, a Pakistani government agency that is hiring doctors for Saudi Arabia.

At Mayo Hospital, Dr Nawaz has to serve in shifts of up to 48 hours straight. In Saudi Arabia, he will get two days off each week and work eight-hour days.

“Here we have a lot of uncertainty. We cannot get a raise unless we protest and boycott work. I am getting out of it,” he said.

Dr Nawaz has been in a government job for three years and said he would resign before leaving. However, many doctors with more years in government service will likely seek permission from the government to go on leave to Saudi Arabia so they can return to their government jobs upon coming back to Pakistan.

Two private Saudi agencies are also interviewing Pakistani doctors for posts in government hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Saturday was the last day of interviews in Lahore. Interviews in Islamabad will take place from January 11 to 13.

“Around 3,000 doctors have been interviewed in Lahore for different positions including residents and consultants,” an OEC official told The Express Tribune.

He said that the Saudi government had recently built a lot of new hospitals and they were short of doctors. He did not say how many doctors the Saudis aimed to hire from Pakistan.

Residents (trainee doctors) are being offered salaries of between 5,000 (Rs121,000) and 8,000 riyals (Rs193,000), while consultants with a fellowship are being offered between 12,000 (Rs290,000) and 16,000 (Rs387,000) riyals. Senior professors and associate professors are being offered up to 30,000 riyals (Rs725,000) per month.

Last year, the Saudi Ministry of Health hired a thousand Pakistani doctors. Shortly afterwards, government-employed doctors in Punjab went on strike to demand better pay.

“This time they are going to hire more doctors,” said a senior doctor who went for an interview.

“The Indian government has just increased the salaries of public doctors and no Indian doctors are going to Saudi Arabia. They are focusing more on Pakistani doctors this year.” The Pakistan Medical Association warned that the country was losing its best doctors to Saudi Arabia and urged the government to improve the service structure for health professionals to stop the brain drain.

“The government on one hand claims to invest in health and education and on the other it does nothing to stop the brain drain,” said PMA Joint Secretary Dr Salman Kazmi.

“The government announces a pay package for doctors and nurses only when they go on strike or take to the streets. This is no solution. The government needs to develop a structure otherwise we may run out doctors.”

A Health Department spokesman said that the government couldn’t match the salaries offered to doctors abroad, especially when they had only recently been given raises. He said the government spent hundreds of millions of rupees on educating and training doctors and they should consider reasons other than monetary for working in Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2012

Saudi Arabia to import thousands of Pakistani doctors – The Express Tribune


This is good news for Pakistani doctors who want to make good money, but how will they communicate with their patients? Saudis don't speak Urdu or English.
Saudi Arabia should now train its own people and open more medical colleges in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan should also make more public sector helicopters and give doctors good packages so they don't leave the country
 
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Pakistan government should increase the doctors salaries. They deserve it and Pakistan can not afford to lose such great doctors.

Pakistani surgeon sets Guinness World Record


ISLAMABAD - A surgeon at the Capital Hospital, CDA, has earned fame and prestige for the nation by making it to the Guinness Book of World Records for removing a 25.5cm long gall bladder through a 1 cm incision.

The 70 year old patient, Rasheeda Bibi, underwent a laparoscopic operation at CDA Hospital by Surgeon Dr Naeem Taj. This is the longest ever gall bladder removed laparascopically in medical history. The Guiness Book of World record has awarded Dr Naeem Taj a certificate of “World’s Longest Gall bladder removed through laparascopy”. Earlier, an Indian Doctor removed a gallbladder of around 24 cm through open surgery.



Pakistani surgeon sets Guinness World Record | Pakistan Today | Latest news, Breaking news, Pakistan News, World news, business, sport and multimedia
 
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Why the hell don't the Saudis produce their own doctors. They are spending ridiculous amount of
$$$ on foreign Doctors which could have been better spent on good medical educational
infrastructure. I sometimes think that the Saudis lack common sense in that they import everything.
Is this the attitude of the royal family or is it that the whole population is like this.
 
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Saudis got money, Pakistanis got brains. Its a perfect combination. And many Pakistanis are emotional about Muslim brotherhood. Most Iranians don't care about Ummah or Muslim brotherhood. Iranians think they are superior, Arabs think they are superior. Pakistanis don't think like that, we don't want to fight with fellow Muslims.

Pakistanis are not the only ones with brains, and if the media propaganda (especially Western media propaganda) against Pakistan is to be believed, then Pakistanis can not be thought to possess much in the form of brains. Of course, one can not rely on Western media at all but you should know very well how much impact the world over these nefarious Western media outlets have.

Pakistanis do insult Saudis as lacking brains (even this post of yours seem to insinuate the same). Then, why would Saudis continue to import doctors and other professionals from Pakistan. It's a mystery to me.
 
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There are plenty of doctors in Arab countries, the special preference for Pakistan from the Saudis is a mystery to me. Saudis seem to have a special relationship with Pakistan ahead of many other Arab countries as well.
 
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You are right but Pakistani doctors don't get paid much in Pakistan because of the corrupt government.

Good to see that the doctors can go to a country and serve the country having world class hospitals. It is a gesture of friendship but also a slap on the Pakistani Health authorities and i wish Pakistani governments and leaders get slapped everyday like this.

Shame on the 180 million+ Pakistanis who cannot send one honest and patriotic person to lead the country. :tdown:

Shame on the 180 million+ Pakistanis who cannot send one honest and patriotic person to head the Ministry of Health in Pakistan. :tdown:

Standard of living in countries having no natural resources but good leadership are light years better than what is in Pakistan having many natural resources :tdown:
 
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Pakistanis are not the only ones with brains, and if the media propaganda (especially Western media propaganda) against Pakistan is to be believed, then Pakistanis can not be thought to possess much in the form of brains. Of course, one can not rely on Western media at all but you should know very well how much impact the world over these nefarious Western media outlets have.

Pakistanis do insult Saudis as lacking brains (even this post of yours seem to insinuate the same). Then, why would Saudis continue to import doctors and other professionals from Pakistan. It's a mystery to me.
Sir Pakistanis have one of the most best brains even in Euorpean and American countries many of the top doctors are from Pakistan and in Saudi Arabia Pakistanis have contributed a lot in their development and they have a good relationship with us because they know their defence is very much dependent on us because of our Nuclear Weapons
 
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I am not saying Pakistanis lack brains. Rather, I am saying others also have brains. Regarding defense of Saudi Arabia, I think it's the Americans who are defending Saudi Arabia. Some Saudi members are under the impression that Pakistan may have lent them/sold them two nuclear bombs, but how much truth is in those impressions need to be seen.
 
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