It is World Mental Health Day today, October 10, 2023. Have you ever wondered about the mental health condition of all those who ensure we are physically and mentally fit?
"Indian medical education doesn't believe in the concept of taking note of the medical and physical health condition of its medicos like the foreign universities do," claims Sri Soma Harsha who is aspiring for Master's in Public Health and is a friend and junior of late Dr Sugirtha Sivakumar, the PG resident doctor who died by suicide last week. She took the extreme step owing to sexual harassment and toxicity.
Being a second-year postgraduate (PG) resident doctor of Sree Mookambika Institute of Medical Science, Kulasekharam, Tamil Nadu, Dr Sugirtha is remembered by her circle as a soft-spoken, hardworking and diligent woman who allegedly worked relentlessly with tiring duties of more than 18 to 20 hours a day.
Discussions around mental health arise every now and then but Dr Sugirtha's death throws light on the tedious work system of postgraduate (PG) residents in Tamil Nadu which has taken a toll on the medical students' mental health.
Today, October 10, friends, professors and well-wishers of Dr Sugirtha Sivakumar have started an online battle, fighting for justice to be served to the deceased and highlighting the guidelines to stop workplace harassment.
Social media storm
Following the death of Sugirtha, the father of the deceased filed a case at Kulasekharam police station and it is reported that further investigation is on. Speaking to EdexLive, her professor, who wished to stay anonymous, said, "We are staging a massive sharing of Sugirtha's picture as status on all possible social media platforms in support of our student who committed suicide four days ago."
"The staging of this demonstration started today, October 10 at 11 am with the hashtags: #justiceforsugirtha #mentalhealthmatters #worldmentalhealthday #sexual_abuse #suicide #Tamilnadu #metoo," she informed.
Online petition
Additionally, the close circle of Sugirtha has started an online petition on change.org, "#JusticeforSugirtha - A battle to stop workplace harassment for medicos".
The petition has also mentioned certain goals that the petition hopes to achieve. Those goals are:
1. An impartial judicial inquiry by a sitting judge with representation from students and civil society to look into matter and render justice
2. Expedite the forensic lab analysis and furnish the final postmortem report at the earliest
3. Ensure a speedy trial.
4. Set up a hotline/helpline where the students can reach out to the police or support systems to report harassment and obtain guidance
5. Ensure that medical institutions which do not have a functional and impartial Internal Complaints Committee as per the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) act be derecognised and admission of new students discontinued until remedial measures are taken
6. Ensure Employer Liability to create responsibility regarding sexual harassment to (a) prevent incidents of sexual harassment, (b) investigate incidents, and (c) correct the incidence in their workplaces
7. Creation of provision for medical students who are victims of harassment to continue their education in another institution or discontinue their education with no fine imposed on them
8. Provision for counselling services be provided to victims of sexual harassment by a counsellor of their choice either within or outside the institution funded by the institution of study
9. POSH workshops to be conducted in medical colleges and other institutions to inform and sensitise the authorities and empower students with the knowledge of their rights. Female mentors allotted to students to approach in case of any harassment
10. The highest management level must lead the charge to create a workplace culture where harassment is not tolerated and practical prevention efforts are in place
11. More women are encouraged to occupy leadership positions such as department chairs, search committee leads, deans, and chief executive officers of hospitals and physician-hospital organizations. Those who prevent or respond to harassment should be rewarded and those who fail to respond should be held accountable
So far, the online campaign has received 4,778, just a few signatures shy of their goal of 5,000.
Mental health in medical education
Dr Sri Soma Harsha, sharing his personal experience, said "I have suffered from depression and anxiety during my undergraduate studies due to pressure from seniors. And this triggered me to start this online petition."
Further, he stressed that situations of harassment, abuse, heavy workload, pressure, hierarchy and other concerns will demotivate those interested in pursuing medicine. Hence, many students might opt to study abroad, he added.
Call of Action
Dr Sri Soma opined that as a call to action, the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act (POSH) could come to the rescue. "However, the majority are not aware of it," he adds.
Disclosing that the Sugirtha campaign's short-term goals as speeding up the legal process by getting forensic reports, Dr Sri Soma said in the long run, they hope to organise POSH workshops and panel discussions.
POSH Act
As per the official website, "The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition & Redressal) Act and Rules, 2013 (“Law”) mandates every Employer to “provide a safe working environment at the workplace which shall include safety from the persons coming into contact at the workplace” (Section 19 (a))."
