The Experience and Perplexities of the COVID-19 Situation in Pakistan

Amna Kaneez Fatima Raja Amna Kaneez Fatima Raja,Maryam Ashfaq Maryam Ashfaq,Mohummad Hassan Raza Raja Mohummad Hassan Raza Raja

doi:10.5195/ijms.2021.668

Amna Kaneez Fatima Raja Amna Kaneez Fatima Raja, Maryam Ashfaq Maryam Ashfaq + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2021.668

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided unprecedented times for people from all walks of life. For the medical student community it is no different. This global health emergency has presented students with circumstances that have required flexibility and constant adaptation with regard to formal medical education. This short commentary draws on personal experience and aims to elucidate the numerous challenges faced by medical students within the context of a low-middle-income country (LMIC) (Pakistan), whilst also highlighting surprising positives that have emerged from an otherwise overwhelming situation.

Highlights

I am a third-year medical student in one of the public sector medical colleges of the country
The government acted promptly, and all educational institutions were closed. This closure lasted until September of this year, but with the recent alarming second spike in new cases, institutions had no choice but to shut down again following a government order that was issued on November 26, 2020
This poses an interesting comparison with other medical students worldwide in developed nations, with Liu, an American medical student, writing that most of their lectures were already recorded online pre-pandemic and there was no major shift in learning modality, unlike what has been faced in my part of the world.[1]

Summary

Introduction

I am a third-year medical student in one of the public sector medical colleges of the country. Many ward rotations have had to be missed, with students only completing the minimum number of required training hours during the time that colleges re-opened. We heard a rumor that third-year medical students would be called to volunteer in their respective teaching hospitals. Even without the aforementioned difficulties of hospital exposure being cut short, third year students already have minimal clinical experience.

Results

Conclusion