A Right to Information (RTI) query filed by Dr Vivek Pandey, a social and health activist on January 30, 2023, reveals on February 15 that 119 medicos died by suicide and 1,116 dropped out of medical colleges in the last five years. "It is a shame that doctors who save lives are losing their own lives and are having to leave their seats after working so hard to obtain them," he says.
The RTI reply from the National Medical Commission (NMC) received by Dr Pandey mentions that out of the 119 suicides, 64 were UG students and 55 were pursuing PG courses, while 160 UG students, 477 PG doctors and 529 doctors from other branches have dropped out. Asked about possible reasons, Dr Pandey says, "There are many, and they slightly vary for UG and PG students."
For UG students, the most pressing factor is the stress they undergo, he states. "The college administration puts them in a pressurised environment. They have to cope with their studies as well as tolerate depressing comments from seniors and professors. This mental pressure takes the form of harassment for many," the expert explains. He adds that ragging by seniors is also a major issue for UG students.
The situation is worse for PG students, Dr Pandey says, as they have to manage long working hours along with pressure from the administration and ragging. "The duty hours for the resident doctors sometimes stretch from 12-24 hours without proper rest. The facilities at the hospitals are also not apt. I can tell from experience that there are no proper beds or washrooms and the food served is of poor quality," he continues.
The question of ragging rages on
Highlighting that ragging is a highly concerning reality for both UG and PG students, the activist states that though it is banned in India and NMC has strict guidelines against it, it is very much in practice. "The anti-ragging cells are only for namesake," he said. In yet another RTI reply received in December last year, Dr Pandey was informed by the NMC that till July 2022, it had no data on registered complaints against ragging in medical colleges.
"How is this possible?" Dr Pandey questions, adding that there were complaints of ragging reported in various colleges across India. Recently, a PG medico from KMC Warangal, Telangana attempted suicide and then succumbed to her injuries. Previously, according to Dr Pandey, a second-year PG student from a medical college in Bhopal had died by suicide, while in Uttar Pradesh, about 100 medical students were forced to shave their heads and paraded by seniors in 2019.
The dearth of complaints registered by the NMC shows that students are afraid of coming forward and complaining, Dr Pandey states. "The ground reality is that seniors indulge in ragging to display their superiority and even professors are known to sanction and take part in the practice," he said. "Even if a student goes on to complain against one, he is harassed by other seniors, who threaten to damage the junior's career. And even if someone is suspended, they either threaten the complainant outside the campus or the harassment renews once the senior rejoins the college," he adds.
As a solution to this grave problem, the expert suggests the appointment of a committee or counselling cell, which can help stressed doctors reach out to the college administration or the government, by providing an open and friendly environment. "The duty hours for PG residents should also be reduced to about eight hours a day and facilities at the hospitals should be improved for them," he says further.
