Unhappy doctors in Pakistan: What are the causes and what can be done?

Objective: To determine if the general perception of doctors being unhappy is true as well as to explore the underlying causes for this phenomena.Methodology: This is a cross sectional study that was conducted over a six months period in two tertiary care hospitals in Lahore. Data was collected by using a structured questionnaire. Demographic information and data assessing perception of overall physicians being unhappy in Pakistan, and their own personal level of satisfaction in life was collected. Possible reasons for unhappiness among doctors from a list of factors was also explored. Finally the respondents were asked about their intentions for near future of remaining/ leaving Pakistan. The data was analyzed by using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS version 17).Results: Six hundred and one (49% males) with the mean age of 28 years (s.d 5.95) participated in a self-reported survey. Majority of the participants (393; 65%) were junior doctors. Fifty nine percent of respondents believe that overall Physicians in Pakistan are unhappy. When asked directly about their own level of unhappiness, respondents gave almost equivocal reply (43% dissatisfied vs 42% satisfied). Low pay (87%), increase workload (73%), no positive feedback (70%), job insecurity (64%) and poor mutual support (47%) being the most significant causes responsible for this unhappiness. High proportion of doctors (55%) would prefer to be in any other country than Pakistan.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that unhappy doctors are a worldwide phenomenon, Pakistani Doctors being no exception. High proportion of doctors intending to leave Pakistan is a source of concern for the health services. We need to accept the causes and take steps to address the issues identified