The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services held a tense session in Islamabad to tackle two linked challenges: the mass migration of medical staff abroad and the underutilisation of post-pandemic health facilities. Lawmakers pressed the Health Ministry on why fully equipped hospitals remain idle while clinical staff leave for better pay and conditions overseas.
Committee members described a worsening “brain drain,” giving stark personal examples of the pressures facing young doctors. One member said his post-graduate trainee son routinely works 93 hours a week for pay amounting to roughly 300 PKR per day, while another noted that many relatives in the medical profession have relocated, with Ireland named as a common destination. The group argued that current pay scales are insufficient to retain talent and stressed that long-term retention requires meaningful changes to compensation and career pathways.
The Health Minister acknowledged the severity of the situation and suggested that a liberalised, insurance-driven healthcare market could help create the financial incentives needed to keep skilled professionals in Pakistan. At the same time the committee agreed that immediate steps are required to make better use of existing assets, especially facilities constructed during the COVID response.
On regulatory matters, the committee deferred a sensitive report on medicine pricing and new drug registrations. Both the committee and the ministry decided an in-camera review is necessary because the matter involves significant commercial interests and complex regulatory questions that require confidential scrutiny.
In a move affecting thousands of applicants, the Health Minister announced an extension for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test registration from October 5 to October 25, 2025. The extension, granted after requests from student groups and provincial authorities, is intended to ease technical and administrative hurdles and give candidates additional time to complete their applications.
Central to the session was the status of the China-Pakistan Friendship Hospital (IHITC), a 276-bed facility equipped with 86 ventilators that has stood unused for nearly three years since completion during the pandemic. The Health Ministry informed members that the COVID hospital has now been formally handed over to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). To prevent the facility from falling into bureaucratic neglect, the government plans to place operations under a philanthropic-public partnership model, with final management and operational arrangements to be confirmed in the coming months.
Committee members concluded that Pakistan needs bold systemic reform, realistic funding models and efficient deployment of existing infrastructure to stabilise the public health system. Retaining medical talent, ensuring fair compensation and modernising governance were highlighted as essential steps to avoid further deterioration and to ensure newly transferred facilities such as the IHITC are brought into service for patients across the country.
