This archive report was first published on 13 October 2019.
As a surgeon in Karachi, I witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of corruption and a lack of ethics on patients and the medical community.
The case that ultimately led to my decision to leave the city was that of an old friend, Aziz, who had been paralyzed from the waist down after a fall from a building. Despite my honest assessment of his condition and the need for rehabilitation, a fellow surgeon promised Aziz that he could operate on his spine and guarantee his ability to walk and return to work.
Aziz's death a few months later, due to a fulminating urinary infection and multiple bedsores, was a tragic reminder of the consequences of such unethical behavior.
Another case that stood out was that of a Muslim priest, who had undergone a botched surgery to address his impotence. The surgeon had taken a slice of bone from his tibia and grafted it into his penis, charging exorbitant fees for the procedure. When the patient's funds ran out, he was left to suffer with a festering wound.
These cases, and many others like them, made it clear to me that I could no longer continue to practice medicine in an environment where corruption and a lack of ethics were so prevalent.
On a dull and drizzly evening of December 22, my family and I boarded the S.S. Paramatta, an Australian cargo ship bound for Liverpool, marking the end of our time in Karachi.
