PakAlumni Worldwide: The Global Social Network
Pakistan is the 3rd Largest Source of Foreign Doctors in America
Pakistan is the third biggest source of foreign doctors who make up a third of all practicing physicians in the United States, according to OECD. Vast majority of Muslim doctors in America are of Pakistani origin.
Foreign Doctors in America:
About 30% of the 800,000 doctors, or about 240,000 doctors, currently practicing in America are of foreign origin, according to Catholic Health Association of the United States. Predictions vary, but according to the American Association of Medical Colleges, by 2025 the U.S. will be short about 160,000 physicians. This gap will most likely be filled by more foreign doctors.
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Pakistani Doctors in United States:
As of 2013, there are over 12,000 Pakistani doctors, or about 5% of all foreign physicians and surgeons, in practice in the United States. Pakistan is the third largest source of foreign-trained doctors. India tops with 22%, or 52,800 doctors. It is followed by the Philippines with 6%, or 14,400 foreign-trained doctors. India and Pakistan also rank as the top two sources of foreign doctors in the United Kingdom.
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Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan |
Dow Medical University of Health Sciences:
There are 3,100 graduates of Karachi's Dow University of Health Sciences, contributing the largest pool of doctors among the 12,000 Pakistani doctors in the United States. About 1,900 are from Lahore's King Edward Medical College and the rest from Karachi's Agha Khan University, Lahore's Allama Iqbal Medical College and other medical colleges in Pakistan, according to Dr. Humayun Chaudhry, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of State Medical Boards in the United States.
Doctor Shortages:
India has six doctors for 10,000 people and Pakistan has eight. The comparable figure for the United States is 25 doctors per 10,000. And yet, the United States continues to import thousands of doctors from these two South Asian nations. Predictions vary, but according to the American Association of Medical Colleges, by 2025 the U.S. will be short about 160,000 physicians. This shortfall will most likely be filled by foreign doctors from countries like India and Pakistan.
Summary:
Pakistani doctors make up the third largest source of practicing physicians and surgeons in the United States. And more are coming to make up the continuing shortages in spite of the fact that Pakistan has only eight doctors per 10,000 people, only a third of the 25 doctors per 10,000 in the United States. Will this change after President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20, 2017? Only time will tell.
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Riaz Haq
Diaspora's role in promoting health care in Pakistan
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2501083/diasporas-role-in-promoting-he...
Shahid Javed Burki
Physicians of Pakistani origin living and working in the United States constitute an important part of their country's diaspora. The size of the Pakistani diaspora is now estimated at 700,000 or 0.2 per cent of the American population. Those who have moved to the United States account for 0.3 per cent of the Pakistani population. As I will take up later in this article, I and one Pakistani doctor have played active roles in getting the diaspora involved in the affairs of their country. While I established an institution based in Lahore that is now named after me, Dr Nasim Ashraf developed a close relationship with General Pervez Musharraf who gave him a position as a member of his cabinet.
Nasim Ashraf has recently self-published a book that provides a detailed account of the way Pakistani physicians under his leadership began to work together under an effective organisation called AAPNA. The acronym stands for the Association of Physicians of Pakistani descent in North America. Ashraf's book is appropriately titled Ringside, since it provides a view of the political ring that he watched from the sidelines in Pakistan. The book focuses on the role the Pakistani physicians have played in helping the country of their origin to improve the situation of health which has caused economists such as myself to worry how the country's poor performance in the sector of health is likely to affect its economic, social and political progress.
Nasim Ashraf has recently self-published a book that provides a detailed account of the way Pakistani physicians under his leadership began to work together under an effective organisation called AAPNA. The acronym stands for the Association of Physicians of Pakistani descent in North America. Ashraf's book is appropriately titled Ringside, since it provides a view of the political ring that he watched from the sidelines in Pakistan. The book focuses on the role the Pakistani physicians have played in helping the country of their origin to improve the situation of health which has caused economists such as myself to worry how the country's poor performance in the sector of health is likely to affect its economic, social and political progress.
Pakistan's health system as redesigned by the 18th Amendment to the Constitution has passed on the responsibility of providing healthcare of the citizens to the provincial governments. They have not been effective in performing this role. There are a number of problems with the system. Of these, four are important: lack of finance; deep differences in coverage provided in the urban and rural areas; not enough focus on child- and mother-care; and a serious shortage of paramedics, nurses in particular. Taking the last first.
A paramedic is a healthcare professional whose main role has been to respond to emergency calls for medical help. Following the response, the affected person is transferred to a well-established medical facility such as hospitals and clinics. This system was put to test during the Covid crisis when Pakistan performed better than neighbouring India in part because the pandemic there struck difficult-to-reach slums in the highly population-dense city of Mumbai. Pakistan has only 106,000 nurses to serve a population now estimated at 240 million. As discussed below, the Burki Institute of Public Policy (BIPP) has launched a programme to increase the number of paramedics in the country, in particular in the areas around the megacity of Lahore.
Oct 16, 2024
Riaz Haq
Over 1,000 Pakistani doctors obtain US residency in one year: PMDC - Pakistan - DAWN.COM
https://www.dawn.com/news/1903083
ISLAMABAD: Around 1,061 Pakistani doctors — the highest ever in a single year — have obtained residency positions in the United States (US), Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) President Professor Rizwan Taj revealed on Tuesday.
Notable institutions, from where the maximum number of doctors have achieved residency positions include King Edward Medical University, Allama Iqbal Medical College, Dow Medical College, Shifa College of Medicine, Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) and Khyber Medical University.
Mr Taj claimed that the “impressive performance of the doctors exemplified the standards set by the PMDC in overseeing medical education in the country and its strong curricula and training programmes”.
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There are a significant number of Pakistani doctors practicing in the United States. The Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) represents over 15,000 physicians of Pakistani descent serving in the USA and Canada. APPNA also provides humanitarian aid and supports medical education in Pakistan. Many Pakistani doctors also pursue careers in the US after completing their residency programs.
Apr 10, 2025
Riaz Haq
Pakistan-American surgeon appointed Chief AI Officer at US college of medicine
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2587116/pakistan-american-surgeon-appo...
Dr Adil Haider says AI can strengthen healthcare systems at scale if implemented responsibly
Pakistani-American surgeon-scientist Dr Adil Haider has been appointed the Inaugural Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO) at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED), the world’s first engineering-based medical school, according to a press statement issued on Wednesday.
The newly created role marks a major milestone in Dr Haider’s global career spanning Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. As CAIO, he will lead the strategic and responsible integration of artificial intelligence across medical education, research, and clinical innovation at CI MED.
Dr Haider joins Carle Illinois after completing a transformative 6.5-year tenure as Dean of the Aga Khan University Medical College in Pakistan. During his leadership, the institution quadrupled its research funding, achieved top-100 global ranking status, and secured multiple international accreditations. Widely respected for his mentorship and accessibility, he remained a popular figure among students.
Speaking on his appointment, Dr Haider said artificial intelligence has the potential to strengthen healthcare systems at scale if implemented responsibly and grounded in real clinical needs.
CI MED Dean Mark Cohen said the appointment reflects the institution’s commitment to making artificial intelligence foundational to the future of medicine, adding that Dr Haider’s leadership would ensure innovation remains ethical and patient-centred.
Dr Haider will also serve as Medical Director for Research Informatics at Carle Foundation Hospital and as a Visiting Professor at the University of Illinois’ Grainger College of Engineering.
Dr Haider has authored over 450 publications, secured more than $200 million in research funding, and founded Boston Health AI in 2024, with a mission to improve care for one billion patients worldwide.
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CI MED Appoints International Expert to Lead AI Initiatives
https://medicine.illinois.edu/news/ci-med-appoints-international-ex...
Carle Illinois College of Medicine has appointed internationally recognized surgeon-scientist, biotech entrepreneur, and academic leader Dr. Adil Haider as its inaugural Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO).
In this newly created role, Haider will lead the strategic vision, development, and responsible deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) across CI MED. He will be responsible for advancing AI-enabled medical education, translational research, and clinical innovation.
Adil Haider (left) has been appointed by CI MED Dean Mark Cohen (right) as the college's first Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer.
Adil Haider (left) has been appointed by CI MED Dean Mark Cohen (right) as the college's first Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer.
“By establishing the role of chief AI officer, Carle Illinois is signaling that artificial intelligence is not peripheral, but foundational to the future of medicine,” said CI MED Dean Mark Cohen. “Dr. Haider brings a unique combination of academic rigor, clinical expertise, and entrepreneurial experience. His leadership will help ensure that AI at Carle Illinois is innovative, ethical, and meaningfully improves health outcomes, transforming our clinical, research, innovation, and educational missions for the future.”
In addition to his duties at CI MED, Haider will serve as the medical director for research informatics at Carle Foundation Hospital, strengthening alignment between academic innovation and real-world clinical practice. In this dual role, Haider will help integrate advanced informatics and AI-driven tools to enhance care delivery, clinical efficiency, and the patient experience across the Carle Health system.
Jan 15