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Armeena Khan's views about Pakistan's doctor brides rubbed people the wrong way

Armeena Khan's views about Pakistan's doctor brides rubbed people the wrong way

"Is it time to make them pay back the costs so that replacement doctors can be trained?" she wrote.
11 May, 2019

Armeena Rana Khan loves Twitter.

If you follow her on the social media platform, you're aware she's quite active on the micro-blogging site.

While it's refreshing to see a Pakistani celebrity who doesn't mince words, Khan does land herself in trouble sometimes like yesterday, when she tweeted about how 85,000 female doctors are not practicing after getting an qualification and it sounded like she was somehow blaming the women for it, like they've chosen to forgo their careers.

People were quick to explain to her that it's reductive to blame women for the shortage of doctors in the country as there are various structural and socio-cultural barriers to entry for them to begin with.

Like why don't we hold the families hunting for doctor bahus who don't let them practice after marriage accountable?

How about the insecure husbands who do the same?

Or should we take it all the way back and blame the family that forces their daughters to study medicine in the first place to secure those so-called rishtas?

So is she just not going to talk about the lack of day care facilities and flexible hours that drive women out of the workforce?

Nope, we just love blaming women.

Meanwhile no one will really point fingers at the male doctors who leave the country for greener pastures...

Armeena did post a clarification soon after stating that she meant the families should be held responsible but it was pretty pointless because even after that, she tweeted about how the medical profession is unlike any other so "don't choose medicine if you know the cultural barriers".

Yikes! Clearly, when people explained that choice is a privilege many women don't have in Pakistan, it seemed to go over her head.

Comments

Prateik May 11, 2019 03:38pm
Kudos to her for stating bitter truth .
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Uzair May 11, 2019 03:51pm
At ~200 Rs/ hour (private job), it is no wonder many younger doctors don't choose to work in Pakistan unless they absolutely have to. Even on the higher side it is 300-400 Rs / hour (government job). Why would I go through all the trouble, if I can make more selling burgers? It makes even less sense for the ladies, when you can sit at home with none of the hassle. A successful private practice, is the only lucrative model at the moment. Which it itself requires going through all the trouble, and even then it is not guaranteed. Regarding government funded college seats, there used to be a penalty for not serving a minimum number of years at a government institutions (there probably still is). How well it was enforced, I never had the opportunity to see. Back then it was 3 years of service, or else pay 300,000 Rs. The amount was suggested to be increased to match the prevailing rate, but I don't know what happened. This mechanism seems reasonable.
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Aman May 11, 2019 03:51pm
Doctors are are one of the most precious assets of Pakistan regardless if they are male or female, and they should be facilitated well in Pakistan to serve the need of Pakistani patients. Pakistani doctors are one of the best doctors in the world and Pakistan should use them for medical tourists or treatment for foreigners patients to make huge money for Pakistan and its health system.
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