Brain drain: Doctors to be allowed 10-day ex-Pakistan leave

To stop them from taking up jobs abroad while retaining their positions at home.

LAHORE:

The Health Department has revised its policy of granting ex-Pakistan leave to doctors so that their seats do not lie vacant for long.

A senior Health Department official told The Express Tribune that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had given his approval.

“This has been done to stop doctors from taking ex-Pakistan leave to take up contract jobs in other countries for a year or two and then returning to their same positions,” he said, “Under the new policy, doctors would be allowed no more than a 10-day leave to go abroad.”

Doctors who wanted to work abroad could still do so but they would have to vacate their seats, the official said.

Health Secretary Hassan Iqbal confirmed the policy amendment. “Doctors will be awarded a 10-day ex-Pakistan leave.

A notification in this regard has been issued,” Iqbal told The Express Tribune on Friday.



Several doctors have expressed reservations about the change in policy and have called it discriminatory. “Doctors in the Punjab are being discriminated against. No other province has such a policy.

This restricts our freedoms and rights,” Pakistan Medical Association Lahore General Secretary Dr Izhar Chaudhry said.

He said that the association had discussed the issue with the Health secretary. “Doctors who have earned the leave should be able to avail it,” Chaudhry said, “Slashing ex-Pakistan leaves to 10 days is sheer injustice.”

If a doctor took more than 89 days off, the department could appoint another doctor in his position, he said. Recruiting new doctors would be a problem, he said, pointing out that four medical colleges were already short on faculty.

“Most professors don’t stay there for more than six months. The colleges are being run on an ad-hoc basis,” he said, “Faculty should be appointed to the vacated positions first.”

In the 1990s, Pakistan had a policy of sending doctors to friendly countries like Saudi Arabia and Turkey on deputation.

It helped the country earn revenue, said Chaudhry, “Instead of restricting doctors’ movement the department should work to improve its efficiency.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th, 2013.