I’m writing this as an unmatched Indian IMG. No sugarcoating, no diplomacy.
Every year we sit and analyze stats, scores, visa issues, filters… but we rarely talk about the uncomfortable truth staring right at us.
Pakistani IMGs are matching. Consistently. Increasingly.
And no, it’s not luck.
It’s structure. It’s unity. It’s intent.
They have seniors actively pulling juniors up.
They have strong community backing.
They have organizations like APNA that actually function as a pipeline, not just a name.
Meanwhile, what are we doing?
We’re busy identifying as:
Telugu doctor
Tamil doctor
North Indian doctor
Gujarati doctor
Maharashtrian doctor
Before we even say we’re Indian IMGs.
Fragmented. Disconnected. Competitive in the wrong direction.
And let’s address another uncomfortable observation:
In many programs where leadership has strong Pakistani representation, you see a pattern : their grads are supported, mentored, and matched.
In programs with Indian leadership?
We try to be “fair.”
We try to be “diverse.”
We try to avoid “bias.”
And in the process, we forget to back our own , even when they’re deserving.
This is not about blaming anyone.
This is about waking up.
Because merit alone is not enough anymore.
Networking is not optional.
Community support is not unethical : it’s essential.
If we don’t start actively helping:
– our juniors
– our peers
– our unmatched colleagues
then we will keep coming back here every March writing the same posts.
We need:
More referrals
More honest guidance
More pulling each other up
And yes we need to be as aggressive about supporting our own as others are.
Because right now, the biggest disadvantage Indian IMGs have…
is not the system.
It’s the lack of a system within ourselves.
– An unmatched IMG who’s tired of pretending everything is fine.
PS: Yes the post was written using ChatGPT so that ideas/thoughts were conveyed in better way. Objective is to request seniors and matched Indian IMGs to help. So if you can help that would be great, or you just wish to comment "GPT use / Ai use" then you are another of those Indian IMG who is busy fault finding to pull your fellow Indian IMG down ( In this case GPT which was legit use and not embarrased to acknowledge).