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Health

Doctor Drain

The migration of Pakistani doctors to foreign countries is not merely an individual choice but a national concern with profound ethical, economic, and social implications

By Khawaja Amer | June 2026


The United States has become a leading destination for Pakistani doctors. In 2025 alone, more than 1,000 Pakistani doctors secured US residency positions, the highest number ever recorded. This has made Pakistan the third-largest source of foreign-trained doctors in the United States. While this flow helps meet the growing demand for healthcare workers in the US, it has serious consequences for Pakistan. The country already suffers from a low doctor-to-population ratio, especially in rural areas, and the continued migration of medical professionals has worsened this shortage.

This situation raises critical ethical questions. Is it fair for a wealthy country like the U.S. to benefit from doctors who were educated using Pakistani taxpayers’ money? Should their healthcare shortages be solved at the expense of Pakistan’s already strained health system? Pakistan spends heavily on the education and training of doctors through public funding and subsidies. When these doctors leave, the receiving countries benefit from that investment, while Pakistan loses both financially and professionally.

The large-scale movement of skilled doctors from poorer countries to richer ones can reasonably be described as a modern form of colonialism. Colonialism involves powerful countries exploiting the resources and labour of weaker nations for their own benefit. Today, instead of raw materials, skilled human capital is being extracted. As one social scientist has noted, the issue is not people’s right to migrate, but whether global systems can ensure that the movement of talent is balanced and beneficial to all, rather than one-sided and exploitative.

The attraction of working abroad has badly affected Pakistan’s healthcare system. Doctors at all levels, from junior trainees to senior specialists, are leaving the country, creating serious gaps in public hospitals and clinics. This results in overworked staff, longer patient wait times, and poorer health outcomes. Current records show that more than 21,000 doctors of Pakistani origin are practising in the United States, highlighting Pakistan’s importance as a supplier of medical professionals to America.

In 2025 alone, 1,061 Pakistani doctors obtained US residency positions, with many settling in states such as New York, California, and Florida. Pakistani doctors are widely recognised for their contribution to the US healthcare system, and their numbers continue to grow each year. However, these gains for the US come at a high cost to Pakistan’s own health services.


The main loss for Pakistan is economic. Doctors trained at public expense effectively become a subsidy from poor taxpayers to rich countries when they settle abroad. A doctor educated in Pakistan’s top medical institutions but practising overseas represents a public investment that no longer serves the country that paid for it.

In 2025 alone, 1,061 Pakistani doctors obtained US residency positions

Reports show that around 56 per cent of international medical graduates from developing countries move to just four high-income nations: the United States, the UK, Canada, and Australia. In 2025, it was reported that up to 60 per cent of Pakistani doctors were planning to move abroad. As a result, Pakistan is left with too few doctors, while publicly trained professionals fill vacancies overseas. This level of brain drain clearly demands urgent attention.

Beyond policy reforms, there is also a moral responsibility on high-income countries to recognise the harm caused by excessive recruitment from poorer nations. While international cooperation in healthcare is essential, it should not weaken already fragile systems. Rich countries should invest more in training their own doctors rather than relying heavily on doctors educated abroad. At the same time, Pakistan must improve career prospects, working conditions, and professional respect for doctors so that staying in the country becomes a realistic and dignified choice. Without shared responsibility and long-term planning, the current pattern will continue to benefit wealthy nations while leaving Pakistan’s healthcare system increasingly understaffed and vulnerable.

Physician migration has critically weakened Pakistan’s healthcare system, making policy reform unavoidable. A survey titled Physicians’ Migration: Perceptions of Pakistani Medical Students suggests several possible measures. These include improving working conditions, increasing doctors’ salaries, ensuring better security, requiring doctors to serve their communities for 5 years before moving abroad, asking wealthy countries to issue only temporary work visas, and seeking financial compensation for the cost of training doctors who migrate.

Some countries, such as Iran, have even considered banning doctors from leaving due to severe shortages. Pakistan also attempted such a measure in April 1973, when a decision was taken at the Governors’ Conference to stop doctors from emigrating. However, the ban was never properly enforced. Doctors continued to leave without obtaining no-objection certificates, immigration authorities were not formally notified, and the Pakistan Medical Association opposed the move, arguing that more jobs and better conditions should be created instead.

The migration of Pakistani doctors is not merely an individual choice but a national concern with profound ethical, economic, and social implications. While doctors have the right to seek better opportunities, unchecked brain drain threatens Pakistan’s healthcare system and widens global inequality. Sustainable solutions must balance individual freedom with national responsibility, ensuring that Pakistan retains enough skilled professionals to care for its people while engaging fairly with wealthier nations that benefit from its publicly trained doctors.

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