Civilian vs Military Hospitals in Pakistan: A Comparison

Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi
Well furnished floors, well mowed lawns, guards stationed at intervals guiding you along the way. While the highways and the developments around the area make the trip easy. You’re inside a military hospital in Pakistan.

What most surprised me when I started working in a military hospital in Pakistan is that there’s no shortage of equipment here. A surplus of supplies means you don’t need to keep disinfectants in your pocket to use only when need arises, which is the case in the public sector. In fact you see disinfectants spread around like confetti. In my analysis, that is because they channel their resources in the correct way and don’t waste the allocated finances. Actually showing other departments what they should be doing. The question arises: What does the civilian health sector do with their resources, dump it in the ocean? Actually yes, they put some of it in the holds of a small army of caretakers. Then another army of disposal people gets rid of it to make supply for the next surplus batch. No kidding. Let's review the only benefit of working in a civilian healthcare. Yes, you get a vast exposure of patients in the government sector. Like I saw a case of Marfan syndrome in my final year rotation at Holy Family Hospital. But you might not see such a case during your entire residency here.

Waiting area AFIRI, PEMH, Rawalpindi

Then there’s the difference in departments. There’s a department called hyperacute stroke unit in PEMH, the likes of which are not found in any civil hospital, or at least not in Holy Family Hospital or Benazir Bhutto. Where initial decisions pertaining to thrombolysis vs thrombectomy are undertaken. After administration of thrombolysis, patients are admitted under the care of the stroke team to an acute stroke unit such as this one for observation. At 24 hr, a repeat CT scan is done, and if it shows no bleeding at that time, an anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy may be considered. And there’s a cath lab attached to it where procedures in interventional neurology such as stroke thrombectomy, carotid endarterectomy, etc are carried out. There's a variety of pupillary disorders that can be seen here, ranging from Argyll-Robertson pupil, amaurosis fugax etc to those never heard of. And who hasn't heard of the state-of-the-art AFIC, it boasts for itself.
There’s this misconception that civilians are considered as “lesser beings” in Pakistan. Well I never experienced that, in fact I think the consultants are more mannerful and reasonable in their approach than their civilian counterparts. So do not believe what people just say. It isn't all roses though. The roster of duties leads you to believe they're unfair in their dealings and that they misuse their authority. And those in charge of the roster claim their helplessness there because they get calls from ‘above’ leaving them with no choice but to abide. So yes that’s an injustice, it may be called nepotism, you WILL face. But the good thing is, there’s always the people in the management you can complain to. Their numbers are displayed all over for you to complain.

The conclusion that can be drawn is, you can opt for a military hospital to work in, especially if you don’t like the aura of civilian hospitals. Although the pay is quite less (25k for a resident, 60k for a medical officer), it's still worth it.