In a tragic incident, a second-year postgraduate (PG) resident doctor of Sree Mookambika Institute of Medical Science, Kulasekharam, Tamil Nadu died by suicide. In her alleged suicide note, she blamed the harassment meted out by the Head of the Department (HoD) of Anesthesiology.
The deceased has been identified as Dr Sugirtha Sivakumar, a postgraduate (PG) second-year resident doctor who hailed from Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu.
Speaking to EdexLive, a friend of the deceased and a PG Resident at Stanley Medical College, Chennai, Dr Vimala, said, "It was on October 7, around 2 o'clock the police had broken her hostel door to find that she had passed away."
Suicide note
The police found a suicide note in the deceased's room. As per the suicide note, which EdexLive has access to, the PG resident took this extreme step allegedly due to sexual harassment and physical and mental abuse she was subjected to by her HoD. Additionally, two other PG doctors are involved in this worrisome incident.
Mentioning their names, the deceased expressed sorry to her "Appa" and left with her last "I LOVE YOU THE MOST" message. As per the note, the alleged accused are:
1. Dr Paramasivan for sexual harassment, physical and mental abuse
2. Dr Harish for senior toxicity, mental abuse
3. Dr Preethi for senior toxicity
Remembering her as a talented, hardworking and diligent woman, Dr Vimala told EdexLive, "It is heartbreaking that she didn't have a proper channel to voice her concerns."
The deceased MBBS student's first-year professor Dr Prathibha, who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology, at Saveetha Medical College, Chennai recalled, "The last conversation I had with Sugirtha was on September 5 when she messaged me greeting Happy Teachers' Day."
"Sugirtha was a very lovely, gentle and soft-spoken student. She writes, doddles and has given me a hand-written note. In fact, I have framed her art which she gifted me earlier," the professor recalls. She left a mark and now nothing can be done as we have lost a lovely soul, she adds,
Talking about the suicide, the professor shared that Dr Sugirtha's classmates had informed her that Sugirtha was handling an excessive workload of over 20 hours a day. "They said that her work was very tedious and tiring which was one of the reasons that did not allow her to be in touch with her friends."
"Speaking to me, her friends said she was a brave girl and has always advised everyone not to run away from problems. 'We should stay and fight for it'," shared the professor emotionally. Similarly, Sugirtha's MBBS friends told EdexLive that she never shared anything that she was going through with anyone.
Support pours in
Deeply sorrowed by this incident, the Tamil Nadu Medical Students' Association (TNMSA) has issued a statement saying, "We should feel Very sorry to lose Dr. SUGIRTHA. RIP DR.SUGIRTHA. Proper ENQUIRE should be made regarding this issue."
Further, the association also shared that earlier, they had already, "requested the Health Secretary to form a Medical Students Welfare Board to monitor mental health, sexual harassment, and regarding welfare of students. He assured that he would do it."
Stressing that they cannot lose another medical student or a postgraduate, they requested the government to take appropriate actions
Speaking to EdexLive, Dr M Keerthy Varman, President, TNMSA said, "Postgraduates are going through work stress already. Upon that, it's dangerous that female PGs have to also face toxicity. It's very important to safeguard the welfare of students, particularly female students."
"Education of females is like a great protest against the Indian society. So everyone should keep this in mind and it's every citizen's role to not harm others," he added stressing about the implementation of the medical students welfare board.
No helpline
Dr Vimala stresses that workplace harassment needs to be addressed in a separate forum. "Although tragic incidents like these make headlines, no action has been taken. And later it is the families and friends who still live with grief," she said.
"There are no clear guidelines or a person to reach out to during such incidents. Who do we have at the workplace, where can we go to voice out our concerns? Is there any help desk for us?" Dr Vimala vehemently questions.
A note with a message
As her friends and mentors said, Dr Sugirtha left the earth with a message on her note: "DEPRESSED PEOPLE CAN ALSO BE SEEN HAPPY. BE KIND. DON'T JUDGE. BE THERE FOR THEM."
