Globally, the prevalence of depression among doctors hovers around 10–15%. However, in Pakistan, a staggering 25–30% of doctors grapple with depressive symptoms, according to literature. The medical field emerges as a significant contributor to depression in the country. This realization propelled me to craft an article addressing this issue, emphasizing that depression doesn’t solely manifest during clinical years but begins to take root in a doctor’s medical school journey.
I am Dr. Muhammad Ali, and I’d like to share my experiences during my medical school journey.
Embarking on the MBBS path in Pakistan is far from easy. Students must achieve high scores in matriculation and intermediate exams and successfully navigate the highly competitive MDCAT. Upon conquering these challenges, they are thrust into a medical college where a new set of trials await.
While our medical schools enjoy international acclaim, they pose real challenges for students. Average students find themselves attending numerous classes, engaging in practicals, clinical rotations, and enduring a relentless series of examinations, including block exams, mid-term exams, monthly stages, substages, OSCEs, and send-ups. Over the course of five years, students study 18 different subjects and undergo approximately five exams per year.
What was once a highly competent student now grapples to pass annual examinations. Faced with self-doubt after exam failures, plagued by insomnia due to the stressful college environment, students may resort to self-medication with anxiolytics.
In my final year of MBBS, I had a fellow student who commenced his medical studies in 2003 and was still in the final year in 2022. The immense stress he carried throughout his academic journey is unimaginable. I witnessed many bright students experiencing anxiety, depression, insomnia, and even psychosis due to the overwhelming stress. The question looms: How can a doctor provide optimal care if they are not mentally or psychologically sound? The conditions worsen when these individuals enter hospitals.
There is an urgent need for behavioral therapies, psychological training sessions, stress management workshops, and mental health awareness initiatives. Medical schools should prioritize arranging workshops that focus not only on medical education but also on the mental health and stress management of their students.
Doctors are the assets of a nation, and their foundation should not be built on harsh memories and negative experiences from medical school. Instead, they should feel motivated and enthusiastic about serving our nation.
What could be the reasons for this disastrous situation ?
I am Dr. Muhammad Ali, graduated from Khyber Medical University Peshawar & currently working as lecturer of internal medicine in International school of medicine, IUK-ISM.
Well ! No doubt Pakistan has been producing extraordinary doctors in their respective fields but we have got limited resources and healthcare budget. There are limited Medical Seats available for the students in public sector Medical College & there are not even enough private Medical Colleges in Pakistan & those available has got tremendously high fee structure.
I am graduated from public sector medical school, Khyber medical university Peshawar and like every other government medical graduate I had the same perception about foreign medical graduates that they aren’t good enough to serve our country.
Well ! I had an opportunity to visit international school of medicine IUK-ISM & what I came to know was totally opposite. This medical school was well equipped with all international facilities including simulation centers, international standard library, well equipped class rooms, teaching hospitals & above all the teaching faculty. I wasn’t much impressed with this thing since I was a government graduate but when I visited the class of final year MBBS, the eager of students to learn & quench their thirst of knowledge was unexplainable. Their eager to know medical knowledge, their gratitude, the respect they had in their eyes for human life was unexplainable. That one single class with them totally changed my idea about FMGs.
There are thousands of foreign medical graduates currently residing in Pakistan. All we need to do is to tap into this untapped talent and utilize it for the betterment of humanity, serving in the right way. We must provide our worthy students the right guidance and help them ace their exams so we can have a valuable addition in our healthcare system.
I haven’t visited any other foreign medical college yet but I have observed IUK-ISM very closely, & this is a game changer medical university for the medical field. The students over here have developed strong communication skills, a great international exposure & above all, being away from your home country makes you a responsible person & helps you in making tough decisions very easily.
To all those who are aspiring to become doctor & to serve our nation, I would recommend you all to think big since my father says, “In the race of quality, there is no finish line”.
In my eyes, this special talent must not be ignored & Foreign medical graduates must be given the equal opportunity to serve our country & this can only be done by having a welcoming attitude for them in the field of medicine.
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