Celiac Disease

Brief Communication WORKING IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM Reehan Sabri1 About Brunei Darussalam Chinese, most of whom are Permanent Resi- dents not citizens; there are small numbers of Were it not for the fabulous wealth of its most indigenous races and a sizeable number of ex- famous resident, Sultan Hassan Al-Bolkiah, the patriates from the Subcontinent, Southeast impossibly small country of Brunei Darussalam Asia as well as Western countries. Brunei is an would be unknown to the world. Once the world’s richest man, the Sultan is the head of Islamic state governed (mostly) by the Shari’ah. a ruling dynasty which has presided over the However, the country also espouses the ideol- affairs of this prosperous nation for 650 years. ogy of “Malayu Islam Beraja” (MIB) which 4 During the early years of the family’s reign, means Malay Islamic Monarchy. MIB is a blend Brunei was an empire which controlled the of Islamic and nationalistic ideas which seeks entire island of Borneo, the third largest in the to preserve, as the name suggests, the Malay world, and parts of the Philippines. traditional culture, Islam and the monarchy Over the years, Brunei’s territories were and it is taught and studied in all Bruneian gradually conquered by the colonial powers schools. until the Sultanate was reduced to its present Brunei’s wealth is derived from oil and gas. day geographical location which is on the The country has a good infrastructure, mod- northwest shore of Borneo occupying 5,765 ern facilities and there is very little crime. The square kilometres1 divided into the four dis- national language is Malay but English is tricts of Brunei-Muara, Temburong, Tutong widely spoken. and Belait with a population of 374 000.2 In Brunei’s Healthcare system contrast, Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi is 3,527 square kilometres with a population of A small number of Bruneian students are 3 18 million. Most of Brunei is covered by beau- sent abroad for medical training but almost all tiful unspoilt rainforests which are inhabited of Brunei’s doctors are expatriates. The major- by some of the world’s most exotic and rare ity are from India and neighbouring countries species of plants and animals. such as Malaysia, Burma and Indonesia. There The majority of Bruneians are the Muslim are three grades of seniority amongst doctors: Malays; the largest minority group are the Medical Officer, Senior Medical Officer and * Conflict of Interest: The author is an employee Specialist (equivalent to Consultant). The of the Ministry of Health, Brunei Darussalam. nurses are mostly locals graduating from the 1. Dr. Reehan Sabri MBBS MSc MRCPsych country’s only nursing college. There is an Consultant Psychiatrist, extensive primary care network throughout Mental Health Unit, RIPAS Hospital, Bandar Seri Begawan, BA1710, the country and each district has its own Brunei Darussalam, general hospital. Most specialist services are Brunei. available in the country. However, healthcare Correspondence: standards are modest compared to what may Dr. Reehan Sabri E-mail: [email protected] be expected. The Brunei Ministry of Health provides a comprehensive list of available * Received for Publication: September 13, 2007 5 * Accepted: September 25, 2007 services. 814 Pak J Med Sci 2007 Vol. 23 No. 5 www.pjms.com.pk Working in Brunei Darussalam Pakistani doctors in Brunei Requirements and benefits for foreign doctors About thirty doctors hailing from Pakistan grace the Bruneian healthcare system. The The ability to speak Malay is not a require- majority work as medical officers in the pri- ment but it is certainly helpful and anyone in- mary care sector. A small number work as tending to work in Brunei would benefit from medical officers in the hospitals. In spite of be- acquiring the language. A good command of ing some of the most able doctors in Brunei, English is essential. The basic requirements for there is not a single Pakistani Specialist in the working in the primary care sector are an country. The reason for this unfortunate state MBBS (the Pakistani basic medical degree is of affairs is that Brunei does not recognise Pa- recognised) and ten years experience. In the kistani postgraduate qualifications. However, hospitals, a postgraduate qualification fol- most of them have been in Brunei for many lowed by five years experience in the relevant years. specialty is also mandatory. With Western post- Dr. Masroor Ali is a psychiatrist. He had his graduate qualifications, one is eligible to apply own private practice in Karachi for ten years for the position of Senior Medical Officer as before leaving Pakistan for Malaysia initially long as the prerequisite five years have been where he worked as a specialist. However, he completed. With a British Certificate of and his paediatrician wife soon moved to Completion of Training (CCT) or equivalent, Brunei where Dr. Masroor took a post as a one may apply for the Specialist grade. medical officer. In spite of moving into a jun- However, it should be noted that there are ior position, he found himself better off finan- exceptions to these rules. cially. He cites his reasons for leaving Pakistan The duration of contracts is usually three thus: “In the two years before I left Pakistan, years. The following benefits are generally in- 68 doctors were murdered in Karachi. Private cluded in every doctor’s contract regardless of education for children is very expensive and grade/seniority: free tickets into Brunei for government education is of a poor standard. yourself, your spouse and up to four children In Pakistan, the working hours are very long up to the age of eighteen at the start of the con- and you work very hard. Here in Brunei, I have tract and free tickets back to the point of ori- a better quality of life; I can spend time with gin at the end; in addition, return tickets are my family.” provided halfway through the contract. A Other doctors have similar reasons for com- modest freight allowance for your personal ing to Brunei. Dr. Asad Dar is also a medical effects is subsidised by the government. Hous- officer. He is in the primary care sector and ing, usually of very high standard is provided has been in Brunei since 2003. “In Pakistan, I virtually free of cost. Your children receive an was working as a medical officer in a Basic education allowance (up to the age of twenty- Health Unit. In Brunei, I have a higher salary, one even if they are in a foreign university). more family time and an opportunity to get a You and your family are entitled to virtually postgraduate qualification.” free healthcare in Brunei. The annual leave Dr. Asad has taken the opportunity to allowance is forty-eight days a year. There is a acquire an MSc in Primary Care part-time at yearly bonus and an end-of-contract gratuity the University of Brunei Darussalam; he also of 25% of your monthly salary for each intends to obtain the MRCGP International completed month of service paid as a lump qualification. Most of the Pakistanis have sum (i.e. 25% of your monthly salary multi- similar reasons for being in Brunei. Whilst plied by 36). acknowledging that things are far from per- Salaries for medical officers start at around fect, they are generally happy and intend to BN $3600 and go up to BN$5400. Senior medi- stay long-term. cal officers start at BN$5400. Specialists start Pak J Med Sci 2007 Vol. 23 No. 5 www.pjms.com.pk 815 Reehan Sabri at around BN$6800 (plus a monthly supple- on kinship with the Royal Family which for- ment of $1350). One Brunei Dollar is equiva- eigners often find difficult to understand. VIP lent to thirty-nine Pakistan Rupees. These fig- patients tend to be the minority since the well- ures are approximate. Contracts are generally to-do will often seek medical care in either renewable. However, in the primary health Brunei’s only private hospital or in Singapore. care sector, a small number of doctors have not Brunei is also notorious for its bureaucracy. It had their contracts renewed due to local doc- is for this reason that allocation of housing is tors qualifying for their positions. usually delayed for an average of three to six months and, in some cases, a year or longer. Advantages and disadvantages Initially, temporary accommodation is of working in Brunei provided in hotels with basic facilities. The aforementioned benefits compare Finally, it must be kept in mind that, while it favourably with other foreign destinations for is perfectly possible to live and work in Brunei Pakistani doctors. Although the salaries are not for many years (indeed, there are many doc- particularly high, it is possible to save money tors who have been in Brunei for twenty-odd in Brunei whilst maintaining a high standard years) there is virtually no possibility of acquir- of living due to a relatively low cost of living. ing citizenship there. Fuel is particularly inexpensive due to govern- Enquiring about employment ment subsidies – in fact, petrol is cheaper than water! The Ministry of Health in Brunei has a Brunei is politically stable and is very safe; website6 with a list of vacancies but it is un- violence is virtually unheard of. Hence, it is con- likely that the site is kept up-to-date. There- sidered to be a very good environment to bring fore, it is perfectly acceptable for anyone inter- up a family. Since the population density is ested in employment in Brunei to send a copy very low, there is very little traffic congestion of their Curriculum Vitae speculatively even if and almost no environmental pollution.

Load more