In Islamabad, Dr Rafey Sher met with former Caretaker Prime Minister Senator Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar and Senator Ashraf Jatoi to press for action on the mounting difficulties faced by doctors across Pakistan, with a special focus on foreign medical graduates and early-career practitioners.
Dr Rafey Sher outlined how regulatory hurdles, scarce postgraduate training slots, complex licensing requirements and unclear career pathways have eroded morale among young doctors and created acute barriers for foreign medical graduates attempting to join the national healthcare workforce. He warned that these systemic problems are driving frustration and accelerating the departure of trained professionals from the country.
The senators acknowledged the seriousness of the concerns and expressed alarm at the declining confidence within the medical profession. Both leaders committed to engaging regulatory authorities, health departments and other stakeholders to identify pragmatic, sustainable reforms that can improve training access and simplify licensing for competent practitioners.
Senator Ashraf Jatoi emphasised the need to safeguard Pakistan’s healthcare future by adopting fair policies, transparent regulation and better planning in medical education and postgraduate training. He assured that the issues raised by Dr Rafey Sher, including the challenges faced by foreign medical graduates, would be advanced in relevant policy forums to seek meaningful change.
Dr Rafey Sher welcomed the senators’ support and urged continued dialogue between policymakers and medical professionals to convert commitments into concrete steps. He expressed hope that coordinated reforms will address long-standing structural gaps, restore confidence among doctors and strengthen Pakistan’s health system for the years ahead.
