The utter plight of GB Doctors
Sultan Ali Baigal
Every year nearly 50-60 top students of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) become doctors and just 5 to 10 % of them return to GB to serve the people back. This is due to lack of any policy for the graduating doctors in Gilgit-Baltistan. Most of the BHUs, THQs, DHQs are nearly running short of doctors. Even if some crazy ones return and work in GB with the hope that someday when they pass the residency programs they would be sent for higher studies down country on deputation. But despite passing FCPS Part 1 and FPSC they only send those for higher studies who either bribe them or relate to them or have high profile sifarish.
This force many to leave GB health sector and pursue on there on to become specialists like heart surgeons, Nephrologists, Gynecologists, Medical specialists, Gastroenterologists, Pediatricians etc. in different parts of the country but mainly in Punjab. In this 21st century the whole of GB does not have a tertiary care hospital to not just for patients welfare but to train these doctors.
The doctors leaving behind everything to do specialization down country will now have no option as the Government of Punjab has passed a bill in which candidates of Punjab will be given Priority for selection, like if there were four cardiology seats and 5 candidates and one of them is from GB so despite having high merit the 4 from Punjab will be favored.
Here are few of my questions:
- KPK, Sindh, Balochistan and even AJK have training institutions for higher medical education but not in GB so where we will go now?
- Will it not cause emotional and psychological burden on doctors of GB being treated as second class citizens?
- Do the ever increasing population of GB dont have the right to be examined by a consultant doctor for a specific ailment?
- Are those few specialists working in GB immortal? and in future will it not be beneficial to prepare a new lot of specialists to face the Future challenges?
- Will the new CM be able to take this issue with the CM Punjab and solve the misery of GB doctors?
Dear Baigal you have tried to address a very important rather I would say the only issue of GB. I being the firstt ophthalmologist who did FCPS and worked for many years in Govt as well as non govt organizations hav some knowledge of whatz happening in our home land.I had my private set up and was more than satisfied about my monetary benifits but had left GB along with my other colleagues a medical college in AJK as AP.They are paying 2lac 25 thousand rs and vr working there in scale 20, but v r satisfied bcoz v are gaining the required teaching experience and hav many publications to our credit. Doctors who hav FCPS degrees are more than frustrated bcoz they are not having any teaching experience.According to WHO criteria there must b 1 Medical college for Each million population so in GB there shoud 2 medical colleges In GB where there is none.In 2009 PM Gillani anounced one Med college in GB and another one in AJK. So far AJK has established three medical colleges and all three into fourth year of training vd great success,but GB leadership has not even their PC1.The poor people of Our GB are being referred to down country for even minor ailments and lots of money wasted. The GB people need their health problems addressed locally and this wud b possible only when a medical college vd its fully equipped hospital is established. I assure you all those doctors who hav left GB will come back at once. For medical college the only difficulty z hiring faculty bcoz the professors from down country will only join GB when they offered attractive packages. Secondly to make medical college this should b a public private partnership. The private sector being AKU.I also request the Newly elected Govt and members to work on this as Single agenda…the public at large should demand for their basic human rights.thanx.