Following the death of a postgraduate medical student at Thanjavur Medical College Hospital due to extended duty hours, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) urged the Government of Tamil Nadu to mandate an eight-hour work limit for postgraduate medical students, reported The New Indian Express.
Founder of PMK, Dr S Ramadoss conveyed his deepest concerns over the 26-year-old medical student's death and extended condolences for the loss. Furthermore, he said that the incident came across as shocking and highlighted the rise in the number of fatalities amongst the medical students due to excessive workload and said that the government must protect the doctors for the sake of the welfare of the people, prioritising their well-being as well.
An uninvited death
The deceased Dr T Tamizhazhagan a resident of Raja Raja Cholan Nagar in Srinivasapuram in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu who completed his MBBS in Thiruvarur Medical College Hospital joined his postgraduate course in pediatrics at the Thanjavur government medical college in the year 2022.
Before the incident, it was reported that he was on duty at the pediatric ward at Raja Mirasudhars' hospital campus on December 30, 2023. The deceased had complained of a headache and was resting in the doctor's restroom.
As per reports by The New Indian Express, Tamizhazhagan did not respond to calls and was unreachable when his colleagues called him in the evening. Tamizhazhagan's father K Tamilmani (61) also rushed to the hospital after his son did not respond to his phone calls. Later, he was rushed to the emergency ward of Thanjavur Medical College main campus, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Grieving father says son was mentally afflicted
A case was registered by the Thanjavur West police and his body was sent for post-mortem to the hospital. Tamilmani, the father of Dr Tamizhazhagan in his complaint mentioned that his son was under medication for a mental health issue for the past six months.
The hospital authorities claim that the PG student was on 8 am to 8 pm duty and showed no abnormalities as he went home for lunch on December 30 and returned to the hospital, which indicated there was no work pressure and hence, took no responsibility for the death.