Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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. How- no vacancy is advertised. One of two outcomes
ever, the choice of schools is rather limited. is to be expected: either you will be invited to
Some of the major disadvantages of working formally apply for a vacancy or your CV will
in Brunei are the lack of career progression in be stored in a database and you will be con-
terms of seniority and knowledge. Sometimes, tacted if a future vacancy arises. Be warned,
local doctors are shown favouritism and one however, that even if there is a vacancy, you
may find a junior local becoming a departmen- are unlikely to be contacted for several months.
tal head. Moreover, there is a lack of control In fact, the whole process of securing employ-
over one’s assigned duties; it is quite possible ment may take as long as a year. Furthermore,
that a doctor will be posted in a different re- the Ministry of Health does not pay for travel
gion without prior consultation. However, this expenses incurred as a result of coming to
is more likely in primary care and tends not to Brunei for interview.
be the norm. The workload and hours in most The Ministry website gives extensive infor-
departments are considerably better than in mation about which documents should be sent
Pakistan. Most doctors enjoy a relaxed lifestyle along with the CV. The website also provides
but the flipside of the coin is that, after many a downloadable application form and an email
years of working in Brunei, doctors may be- address which can be used to send documents
come de-skilled. Pakistani doctors working electronically. It should be noted that applica-
overseas are often subjected to prejudice and tions for a post in primary care services should
mistreatment either by patients or employers. be made to the Director General of Health Ser-
In Brunei, patients are generally pleasant and vices whilst applications for hospital posts
employers at least treat doctors with respect. should be sent to the Director General of Medi-
Bruneian Malays have a social hierarchy based cal Services. The Pakistani doctors in Brunei
have established a very cohesive and welcom- 2. United Nations Population Fund. Profile: Brunei
ing community and any interested applicant Darussalam [online]. Available from http://www.unf
pa.org/profile/brunei.cfm (accessed 25/8/07)
should not hesitate to get in touch for advice 3. City District Government Karachi. Geography and
and further information. demography [online]. Available from http://
125.209.91.254/cdgk/Home/AboutKarachi/
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS GeographyDemography/tabid/270/Default.aspx
(accessed 9/9/07)
I would like to thank the Pakistani doctors 4. Government of Brunei Darussalam. National Philoso-
of Brunei for the valuable information they phy [online]. Available from http://
provided, in particular Dr. Masroor Ali and www.brunei.gov.bn/government/mib.htm
Dr. Asad Dar. (accessed 25/8/07)
5. Ministry of Health Brunei Darussalam [online].
REFERENCES Available from http://www.moh.gov.bn/index.htm
(accessed 9/9/07)
1. Government of Brunei Darussalam. About Brunei 6. Ministry of Health Brunei Darussalam. Vacancies for
[online]. Available from http://www.brunei.gov.bn/ Doctors [online]. Available from http://www.moh.go
about_brunei/land.htm (accessed 25/8/07) v.bn/job/doctors.htm (accessed 12/9/07)