THIS refers to the report ‘Karachi, Hyderabad to get two new boys-only medical colleges’ (May 24). It reminded me of the time when girls had a fixed quota in medical colleges. The law was challenged and admissions were then opened on merit. Soon, it was obvious that girls performed better academically, as well as in many cases, professionally.

At present around 80 per cent of those admitted to medical colleges are girls. According to the said report, girls are reluctant to work in rural areas and to do night shift because they don’t feel safe. On the other hand, boys seem to prefer to migrate to larger cities or even abroad, looking for greener pastures. Where security is concerned, it is the duty of the government to provide it to doctors and paramedics irrespective of the gender.

Many male doctors used to go abroad or opt to work in civil services. Nowadays, however, fewer doctors seem interested in appearing in the CSS exam, as corruption, contacts and sycophancy have replaced merit and given the service a bad name.

However, opening more medical colleges just for boys will be counterproductive. This is because having more seats in medical colleges for boys will enable those with lesser merit to enter the field, resulting in further deterioration of the standard of medical education.

It is also commonly observed that many young women abandon the field after education for domestic reasons. They should be counselled and brought back rather than letting talented female doctors give up on account of societal pressures.

In some countries, first-time mothers are given longer maternity leaves while fathers are also given paternity leave. Other similar initiatives, such as setting up daycare centres at hospitals, should be considered to keep women doctors from leaving the profession altogether.

Where malpractice is concerned, however, it has generally been observed that more men are involved in it compared to women.

I would urge the government to consider putting in some serious effort to retain the female doctors and staff, rather than setting up boys-only medical colleges.

The country would surely be far better served by women students, nurses and doctors and their inclusion in society and workplace in the long run.

Prof (Dr) Yasmeen Kazi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2022