Surviving meagre salaries and an overwhelming workload, medical staff from across the country are almost always on the lookout for better work opportunities abroad. While foreign job offers are a golden ticket for the nurses, their exodus leaves behind an irreplaceable void in the local healthcare system.
Just like in other provinces, a large number of nurses from Punjab are heading overseas in search of better financial opportunities, professional growth, and improved working conditions. Their top destinations include the Gulf countries, the UK, and Canada. According to the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, nurses made up around 5.8 per cent of Pakistan’s total “highly educated” workforce that went abroad in 2024.
The migrating nurses have revealed that they are offered better salaries and facilities abroad, enabling them to meet their needs more easily. Reportedly, Pakistan requires around 700,000 nurses, while the global demand is even higher. Due to this brain drain, Pakistan’s healthcare system is under significant pressure.
Between 2019 and 2024, the number of Pakistani nurses registered abroad grew at an average annual rate (CAGR) of 54.2 per cent — a highly concerning figure. This increasing trend has made it even more difficult to provide proper healthcare services in a country already facing a shortage of nurses.
Globally, it is estimated that 15 per cent of nurses from developing countries migrate to developed nations each year, with similar patterns observed in Pakistan, where large-scale migration is affecting healthcare services in the country and demotivating new nursing graduates.
“Even though many new nursing colleges have been established in the private sector, the Pakistan Nursing Council is not allocating enough quotas for new nursing students. Since those trained nurses bring in valuable foreign exchange once they start working abroad, the investment in nursing education is worthwhile. However, the lack of support from the Nursing Council is creating hurdles for private colleges,” said the head of a private nursing college.
According to the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council (PNMC) the number of registered nurses in the country is far below what is required for a population of over 240 million. Pakistan's nursing-to-doctor ratio is also below global standards. As per PNMC, there were only 116,659 registered nurses in Pakistan in 2020. WHO guidelines stipulate that there should be three nurses per doctor, but in Pakistan, there are only 0.5 nurses to assist each doctor.
Official figures have revealed that 727,381 registered professionals left Pakistan in 2024, while over 336,442 have already moved abroad during the first six months of 2025. Sources also revealed that a large number of nurses are going abroad through private arrangements hence no formal record of their migration exists.
Punjab's Director General of Nursing, Kausar Parveen, claimed that the number of nurses in the province was low, but the government had taken steps to address the shortfall. “It is estimated that by 2030, the demand for nurses will reach 100,000. In response, the government has taken measures in collaboration with the University of Health Sciences and both public and private institutions. The shortfall of about 3,000 nurses has already been addressed. Currently, around 44 institutions are offering nursing education across the province,” said Parveen.
Unfortunately, however, despite government claims, a significant number of nurses are leaving Pakistan due to economic conditions. While steps are being taken to fill the gap in public healthcare, a shortage remains in the private sector.
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