Pakistan's healthcare system is teetering on the brink of survival. Among the major challenges facing the healthcare industry is a mounting wave of nurse emigrating to other countries. In 2024, nurses made up about 5.8 per cent of Pakistan's 'highly educated' migration stream, with nurse emigration rising at a staggering compound annual growth rate of 54.2 per cent between 2019 and 2024. And while Pakistan needs roughly 700,000 nurses to meet demand, it only had 116,658 registered nurses as of 2020 — a largely insufficient and deeply concerning number.

The brain drain narrative is painstakingly clear: nurses are fleeing in search of better pay and safer working environments abroad. Countries from the Gulf to the UK and Canada attract talent with competitive salaries and better professiona

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