Surgical Training and Quality of Life Diverge for Pakistani OBGYN Residents

Obstetrics and gynaecology residents in Pakistan's public and private sector hospitals report broadly similar work-related quality of life, but their surgical training experiences differ in ways that researchers say deserve attention, according to a multi-institutional cross-sectional study published in BMC Medical Education. The study compared residents at four tertiary care institutions with structured training programmes: Aga Khan University Hospital, Liaquat National Hospital, Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar and Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre in Karachi. The researchers used standardized questionnaires to assess both quality of life and surgical training, with the aim of identifying factors that could inform efforts to standardize obstetrics and gynaecology training across the country.

On the primary measure, the team found no significant difference in work-related quality of life scores between residents in public and private sector hospitals. Surgical training, however, showed a contrasting pattern. Yet their exposure to subspecialties such as gynaecologic oncology, urogynaecology and maternal-fetal medicine was considerably low.

Private sector residents followed a different trajectory. Their exposure to surgeries was low at the beginning of training, but by the end of the four-year programme they had encountered a wide variety of surgical procedures and subspecialty work. The authors note that these differences between the sectors need to be focused on when considering how training is standardized.

The study was designed with two objectives: to compare and evaluate the quality of life of obstetrics and gynaecology residents and their surgical training in Pakistan's public and private sector hospitals, and to identify factors influencing both. Obstetrics and gynaecology is described in the paper as a highly demanding specialty in Pakistan, with residents undergoing rigorous training to become proficient in a range of procedures and surgical interventions. Because the study is cross-sectional, it captures residents' experiences and self-reported measures at a single point in time rather than following individuals through their training.

The four participating institutions were selected because they are tertiary care centres with structured training programmes, so the findings may not represent the experience of residents at smaller or less structured facilities elsewhere in the country. The researchers suggest that understanding these sector-specific differences could help make possible attempts towards standardization of obstetrics and gynaecology training in Pakistan. The work was published open access on 27 August 2026 as a peer-reviewed, accepted article carrying a permanent DOI, with a final version of record to follow.

Subject of Research: Comparison of surgical training and quality of life among obstetrics and gynaecology residents in Pakistani public and private hospitals

Article Title: Comparison of surgical training and quality of life among obstetrics and gynaecology residents in public and private sector hospitals in Pakistan

Article References: Chughtai, N., Rehmani, D., Raza, A., Yasmeen, T., Yasmeen, H., Abrar, S., & Kashif, U. (2026). Comparison of surgical training and quality of life among obstetrics and gynaecology residents in public and private sector hospitals in Pakistan. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-10182-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12909-026-10182-1

Keywords: obstetrics and gynaecology, medical residents, surgical training, quality of life, Pakistan, public hospitals, private hospitals, medical education, cross-sectional study, subspecialty exposure, tertiary care, BMC Medical Education