Physician migration at its roots: a study on the factors contributing towards a career choice abroad among students at a medical school in Pakistan

Abstract

BackgroundPhysician migration, also known as “brain drain,” results from a combination of a gap in the supply and demand in developed countries and a lack of job satisfaction in developing countries. Many push and pull factors are responsible for this effect, with media and internet playing their parts. Large-scale physician migration can pose problems for both the donor and the recipient countries, with a resulting reinforcement in the economic divide between developed and developing countries. The main objectives of our study were to determine the prevalence of migration intentions in medical undergraduates, to elucidate the factors responsible and to analyze the attitudes and practices related to these intentions.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional, observational, questionnaire-based study, conducted at Dow Medical College of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, between January, 2012 and May, 2012. A total of 323 students responded completely. The questionnaire consisted of 3 sections, and was aimed at collecting demographic details, determining students’ migratory intentions, evaluating reasons for and against migration and assessing attitudes and practices of students related to these intentions.ResultsOut of 323 respondents, 195 wanted to pursue their careers abroad, giving a prevalence rate of 60.4% in our sample. United States was the most frequently reported recipient country. The most common reasons given by students who wished to migrate, in descending order, were: lucrative salary abroad followed by quality of training, job satisfaction, better way of life, relatives, more opportunities, better working environment, terrorism in Pakistan, harassment of doctors in Pakistan, desire to settle abroad, more competition in Pakistan, better management, peer pressure, longer working hours in Pakistan, religious reasons, parent pressure, political reasons and favoritism in Pakistan. A considerable number of respondents had already started studying for licensing examinations, and were also planning of gaining clinical experience in their desired country of interest.ConclusionPhysician migration is a serious condition that requires timely intervention from the concerned authorities. If considerable measures are not taken, serious consequences may follow, which may pose a threat to the healthcare system of the country.

Migration Trends of Pharmacy Students of Pakistan: A Study Investigating the Factors Behind Brain Drain of Pharmacy Professionals from Pakistan

“…16,17 This phenomenon has been reported in a number of studies and by various news agencies as well. 18,19 Sheikh et al 2012 reported rising urge to emigrate from Pakistan particularly in undergraduates.…”

“…18,19 Sheikh et al 2012 reported rising urge to emigrate from Pakistan particularly in undergraduates. 16 In an another study the brain drain among pharmacy teaching professionals in Pakistan's pharmacy education has been reported however, none of the studies reported migration trends of the pharmacy students of Pakistan. 20 This study aimed to investigate the inclination towards migration among pharmacy students of Pakistan and unlike previous studies; it was conducted in pharmacy teaching institutes of 3 major cities of Pakistan namely Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.…”

“…The factors such as lucrative opportunities abroad, political instability, lack of opportunities and security issues encourage young students to migrate. 16,17 It is pertinent to mention that most of pharmacy students wish to pursue a career in pharmaceutical sector in Pakistan but switch to clinical and hospital sector as their career choice abroad. This change in career choice is due to the fact that Pakistan's pharmaceutical sector is widely seen as the area with opportunities for young pharmacy graduates offering better salaries as compared to the health care sector of the country which is incapacitated and lacks infrastructure.…”

“…The research instrument consisted of a questionnaire in English language partially adopted from Sheikh et al 2012, 16 developed and modified through experts who were professors, clinical pharmacists, pharmacy teachers and student career counselors at pharmacy teaching institutes of Pakistan. The 35 point questionnaire consisted of 5 open and 30 close ended questions.…”

Stemming the Medical Brain Drain: A Personal Perspective on a Global Problem

“…In combination, these forces significantly drive global health inequities. Taking the example of Pakistan, a country with sizable healthcare disparities, nearly two-thirds of medical students expressed a wish to emigrate, citing factors such as political instability, harassment of doctors in Pakistan, and improved quality of life and training abroad (Sheikh et al, 2012). Although such concrete issues are often blamed when examining the issue of brain drain, conceptualizing the problem on an individual level is an important step in addressing it.…”