Medical Jobs in Pakistan - Senior Medical Officer

March 23, 2010

Name: Dr. Noorulamin Baloch
Job Title: Senior Medical Officer
Years of Experience: 15 years
Where: Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Current Employer: Government of Sindh Lyari General Hospital
Education: Liaquet Medical College, MBBS, DA, Anesthesiolgy and Surgical Intensive Care, Family Planning.
Other Relevant Work Experience: Rotary ward duties in surgical & medical units, emergency and casualty department, medical care in sugar industry, etc.
Salary: See the PayScale Research Center for median physician salaries in the U.S. and Pakistan.

Medical Jobs in Pakistan – Senior Medical Officer

Dr. Noorulamin Baloch is a senior medical officer and anesthesiologist working in Pakistan. As discussed in the following Salary Story, medical jobs in Pakistan can involve numerous challenges, including lack of equipment or supplies. However, Dr. Baloch is passionate about anesthesiology and has helped thousands of patients over the course of a career. Keep reading to find out how this physician got started, what it's like to work in Pakistan and what to expect from an anesthesiologist career.

PayScale: What is your physician job description?

Well I am an anesthetist and it is my job to provide anesthesia – general, spinal, regional – in operation theatres of different surgical faculties like G surgery, eye, ENT, urology, orthopaedics, neurosurgery, gynecology & obstetrics, radiolgy, cancer dept., etc. I have spent lot of time in intensive care units both specialized and general.

PayScale: How did you get started as an anesthesiologist?

Well, in 1990 my elder brother was admitted to the CCU unit of one hospital and I spent one night with him. There I saw the dynamic and very interesting critical care using monitoring, IV infusions, defibrillates, etc. The next morning my bother discharged from hospital but many of the patients were receiving ICU care. I learned one thing from this environment – that it is a real magical world of healing as you get the immediate results of therapy. So I discussed with my senior fellows regarding the critical care and they advised me to join anesthesiology as it includes critical care as well. I have delivered anesthesia and critical care services to several thousand persons and I am very happy that I saved most of them. It is adventurous, extremely challenging, getting adrenaline released.

Do You Know What You're Worth?

PayScale: What do you love about your anesthesiology job?

I was in charge of ICU at Civil Hospital Hyderbad. The ICU was to serve every patient from casualty to surgery, medicine, etc. On one noon one young male aged 19 years was admitted to ICU with history of organophosphorus poisoning. The boy was listless and gasping with secretions coming out of mouth and blue nails. I started the ABC and settled patient on ventilator for artificial ventilator after having the ABG. We struggled for this patient for at least 20 days on a ventilator, having various dramatic events like AF septicaemia, but finally we succeeded in getting him out of ventilator. He was alright but still needed physiotherapy for his muscles. Another interesting thing is the story of a boy who tried to commit suicide as his uncle did not let him drive the new tractor to fetch water from a tube well. Uncle wanted him to drive the old tractor which drove him crazy and he attempted suicide.

PayScale: What are the biggest challenges you face working in a medical job in Pakistan?

Well, they are several: non-availability of consultants, non-availability of proper equipments, non-availability of trained staff, non-availability of medicine even, non-availability of free trainings and equipment repair facility, non-availability of technical support while dealing with purchase of equipments as administrative officers are to decide the choices. These are normally not faced by every person, but I belong to Pakistan, which is less developed than the modern countries.

PayScale: What advice do you have for those who want to become an anesthesiologist?

It is a very dependent field and hospital practice is not common; you remain financially weak due to dependency on a surgeon. It is tough and you need nerves to face the situations.

PayScale: Do you recall any crazy moments from your anesthesiology jobs?

One Friday I was called for an emergency hysterectomy of a grand multipara which had already the rupture of uterus. That patient had cardiac arrest due to severe bleeding. When i got into OT I saw the patient just gasping and very weak pulse. The surgeon asked me to give GA to almost dying patient. Well, I started with no drug and awake intubation. After starting artificial ventilation I let surgeons start the surgery. Near the end of surgery patient had pulmonary edema and when it settled I shifted patient to ICU which was 200 meters away from OT. During shifting again the patient had cardiac arrest. I shifted the patient to near OT and luckily the patient survived again after administration of ALS. Finally patient was shifted to ICU. After a night-long stay she was relieved from ventilator as her vitals were fine and ok. When I saw the patient alive and talking normally I was astonished and thanked the GOG for very kind support.

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