Pakistan: 56 senior doctors resign in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa over newly introduced Medical Act

Islamabad [Pakistan], December 30 (ANI): As many as 56 senior doctors have resigned from their jobs at prestigious hospitals of Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province due to the newly introduced Medical and Teaching Institutions Act in 2015, stating that they felt ignored in matters where they have a significant role.
Under this law, the government adopted health policies, including making new recruitments. This move of provincial government led several senior doctors to resign from their jobs at prestigious hospitals.
Inexperienced newly-recruited doctors have reportedly been given authority over senior professionals. This, together with alleged irregularities at hospitals, has added to disaffection among the senior health professionals. Senior doctors preferred resigning from government jobs to shutting up their private clinics, The Express Tribune reported.
As many as 56 senior doctors have left Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) alone over the past two years. A similar exodus of seniors has also taken place from the other hospitals in the province, according to The Express Tribune.
The departure of senior doctors from government hospitals is causing severe problems for patients, especially the poor ones. Now, these patients have to depend on medical graduates with little experience. They have to consult specialists at their private clinics after paying high fees. The most telling effect of the sorry state is the closure of the cardiology department at LRH.
Conditions in the health sector in Pakistan are going from bad to worse. Doctors often protest on roads for the redressal of their grievances. The growing disaffection among health experts has compelled many to leave the country for a better life abroad.
The Express Tribune reported that many doctors have left and many are considering doing so. In recent years, thousands of doctors have left the country. (ANI)