Dr. Hafiz Waleed Malik is a successful person who won 29 gold medals in various subjects during his medical education. But despite his outstanding accomplishments, he has had trouble finding employment. He recently shared his unhappiness on Instagram after receiving rejection letters from more than 20 private hospitals.
In the private sector, he asserts, 99 percent of doctor posts are filled through recommendations, with just 1 percent of appointments made based on merit. He expressed his shock at the dearth of prospects for deserving applicants like himself and blamed it on a pervasive “recommendation culture.”
In a recent interview, Dr. Malik expressed his disapproval of this mentality and argued in favor of a based-on-merit medical career system. He thinks that rather than evaluating a candidate’s connections, hospitals should look at their qualifications. His Instagram post received a lot of attention and sparked discussions.
Dr. Malik stated that he did not desire an internet celebrity, but rather, he wanted to spread awareness of the realities of the healthcare system. He thinks that both average pupils and high performers are impacted by the recommendation culture. In both public and commercial healthcare settings, he seeks to advance equity and equal opportunity.
Dr. Malik advocated for changes to the government sector and system upgrades while acknowledging that private organizations have their employment policies. While he is proud of his academic accomplishments, he wishes Pakistan had a system where merit prevailed above personal recommendations.
Dr. Malik recently finished his house job at the Lahore General Hospital on June 2.
