In Pakistan, when high school students begin thinking about their future, the direction is almost decided in advance. Medicine, engineering, maybe business or IT after that. This is how most students see it. Fields like physiotherapy and other allied health sciences usually fall much lower in priority, often seen as second or even third options. Not really something students aim for from the start.
And this, honestly, is a serious issue.
What makes it more surprising is that allied health professionals are actually a backbone of modern healthcare systems. The World Health Organization reports that nearly 60% of the global health workforce belongs to allied health. That’s a huge share. These are the same people helping patients get back to proper health, manage chronic pain, and return to normal life after illness or injuries. In academically developed parts of the world, these professions are respected by society, and students choose them voluntarily, not because they are the last options available.
In Pakistan, however, the story is different. The demand for rehabilitation services is clearly rising. Road accidents, increasing lifestyle diseases, aging population… all contribute to it. But the supply of well-trained professionals is still not consistent. Some estimates suggest there is less than one physiotherapist per 10,000 people, which is quite low.
But honestly, the bigger concern is not just the numbers. It’s about the quality as well. If high-performing students are not choosing these degrees and are going for other options, the overall quality and standard of graduates entering the industry automatically declines. You end up with graduates entering the market who have no knowledge of how best to cater to the increasingly complex needs of the modern generation. And in the end, it is the patients who suffer at the hands of ill-equipped professionals. Inadequate treatment not only leads to a loss of time and money for patients, but also results in a loss of trust towards allied health professionals, in an age where people already hesitate to visit physios.
These same unqualified professionals move on to become teachers and mentors, and due to this, future generations of upcoming physios are also groomed in an environment which normalizes mediocrity and inefficient treatments. As small as this problem seems, it has actually, over decades, caused Pakistan to remain behind in rehab-related innovations. It is also the same reason why people who actually want to innovate are being held back, and why, nowadays, brilliant students simply refuse to consider allied health fields as viable career options.
A major factor here is perception. Many students simply don’t know what these careers can offer. There is confusion around growth, specialization, and even long-term stability. Compared to MBBS or engineering, it just feels uncertain, maybe not worth the risk. So students with stronger academic performance tend to stay away.
Fixing this is not very easy, but institutions definitely have a role to play. The curriculum in many institutes still feels as if built for the 90s. Too much focus on theory and ratification, and not enough on practical exposure and hands-on techniques. Students graduate without proper hands-on knowledge or shadowing under professionals, which creates problems later on when faced with real-life circumstances. Programs should align with international standards and include modern practices, but right now that gap still exists, quite clearly.
Teachers at the institutions also matter a lot. A strong teacher completely changes how a student views their field, while a PowerPoint reader can push them further away. Institutes need to allocate proper resources to invest in better faculty, people who are well trained and learned, experienced, and maybe even have international experience, to not just teach, but to mentor the next generation of allied health professionals. Otherwise, progress will remain slow.
Then there is the overall student experience. High achievers don’t just want a generic degree; they want growth and experience. They are hungry for mentorships, internships, and real-world exposure. Something meaningful. These experiences should be integrated into the academic system, not treated as optional. However, such crucial opportunities are absent in most places.
One more important issue is awareness in society. Schools don’t really discuss allied health careers in depth. Students don’t get proper guidance, so they just follow what others are doing. Awareness campaigns, school visits, proper career counseling… these things can actually shift perceptions. If students understand early what these fields offer, more of them might consider it seriously. Right now, that understanding is limited.
At the end, this is not only about career choices. It’s about the healthcare system of Pakistan. If talented students continue to ignore allied health sciences, the system will keep struggling. But if these fields are improved and given the attention they deserve, they can play a major role in improving patient care across the country.
If you want to submit your articles and/or research papers, please visit the Submissions page.
To stay updated with the latest jobs, CSS news, internships, scholarships, and current affairs articles, join our Community Forum!
The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
Ahsan Sohail is third-year student at Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College.
