Losing trained nurses

Due to a massive discrepancy in the number of nurses being churned out at government expense and the number of jobs that are available for said nurses after they complete their education and training, a large number of trained professionals in Sindh either remain unemployed or are migrating abroad. Nursing demands five years of education along with one year of a mandatory house job, and the government offers monthly stipends for students and trainees throughout this duration. This brings the total government expenditure on nursing students up to Rs8.2 billion annually. All while workforce planning remains disconnected, sanctioned posts are barely present, and government hospitals remain understaffed and overburdened.

The primary reasons for high migration rates in Sindh include a lack of standardised salaries, scarce benefits, meagre incentives and a negligent attitude towards healthcare employees in general — that too if one is able to even secure a job. Whereas, in greener pastures abroad, healthcare employees are promised high earning potential, alluring bonuses, an improved quality of life and even covered relocation costs at times.

Healthcare employees believe countries abroad are better able to respect the time and effort they have put into their training. Therefore, they do not think staying in Pakistan would be a good investment, both in the longer and shorter runs. And the government remains remiss in offering professionals the opportunities they are promised elsewhere, despite consistently spending on their education.

Just recently, the Health Minister directed a government hospital to introduce evening nursing classes to address the shortage of trained nurses in Sindh - failing to address the already large number of unemployed professionals that are in search of viable and sanctioned posts. Training more nurses without creating jobs might only deepen unemployment and further encourage brain drain rather than resolving the issue of funding a sector that is settling anywhere but in our hospitals.