'Open merit policy has caused doctors' acute shortage at healthcare facilities'.

KARACHI -- There is an urgent need to address acute shortage of doctors at healthcare facilities. The situation has resulted mainly because women constituting the majority of medical college students do not become part of the workforce and those who do fail to fulfil their professional requirements.

This issue was raised at a seminar titled 'Educational chaos in the country' organised by the Human Rights Committee of the Pakistan Medical Association at the PMA House on Saturday.

Highlighting how grave doctors' shortage is at hospitals, Dr Amjad Siraj Memon, the principal of Dow Medical College, said it's so serious that doctors were hard to find especially at night shifts.

'The problem is societal mindset hasn't changed while we let our girls pursue higher education. The open merit policy in place at medical colleges for over two decades has encouraged more and more women to get admission to medical colleges over time. But, a significant number of them are either forced to abandon their studies or leave their profession as soon as they get married,' he explained.

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He regretted that several female doctors, who were able to practice, declined to treat male patients and do night shifts. 'It's ironic that on the one hand we talk of open merit policy and on the other harbour gender discrimination. A doctor must be able to look after all his or her patients without any gender bias.'

He pointed out that the open merit policy introduced on court's orders had brought about drastic change in the healthcare system in 23 years and needed urgent intervention.

Additionally, he noted, the country had been experiencing brain drain for many years, making the situation worse.

Speaking about the positive changes, he said today it's possible for a poor man's child to get medical education as institutions offered funding support and scholarships.

Violation of rights

The event also saw speakers criticising the federal government for introducing a medical examination system that favoured students of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and described it as a 'violation of Sindh's fundamental right to education'.

There was strong condemnation of the Pakistan Medical Commission...