After Dr Dharawath Preethi, a first-year PG medical student from Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) in Warangal, Telangana, attempted suicide on February 22, doctors come forward to speak on the mental harassment they face at workplaces. They highlight that if the situation is improved, such cases can be brought down.
What happened to Dr Preethi?
Dr Preethi allegedly self-administered some injections and was found unconscious by fellow doctors. She was being treated at the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad, but she succumbed on February 25. She had previously complained of mental harassment by her senior to her father. After the alleged suicide attempt, Dr Preethi's family filed a police complaint against her senior, who was later taken into custody.
In his defence, the senior, Dr MD Saif, stated that he was correcting Preethi's mistakes and that such interactions were common between a junior and senior at a workplace. However, an anti-ragging committee was set up to investigate the matter. Dr D Srinath from KMC, who was a part of the committee and is also one of the Vice-Presidents of the Telangana Junior Doctors' Association (JUDA), says, "He was found guilty of ragging, on the grounds that his words had hurt Dr Preethi, and according to the definition of ragging, any action or word which hurts someone is considered ragging."
"However, there was no case of physical harassment," he added. Dr Srinath says that the committee has forwarded its report to KMC, which has promised action against the guilty. Nonetheless, he opines that there are several other reasons due to which doctors face mental trauma and these issues should be addressed soon.
Doctors in action
On Saturday, March 4, the PG residents of KMC collectively wrote a letter to the Principal of the college along these lines. "We are in an understanding that the unfortunate incident is just a reflection of inherent flaw in the system," the letter states. It adds, "We anticipate you to not dilute and divert this huge issue across every medical college in India to just a simple ragging issue. This is not a case of ragging. It is a system failure and we need to redefine the system."
Telangana JUDA, on the same day, also submitted a representation to the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) of the state, regarding their problems. "The authorities said they would look into the issues, and we haven't received any other response yet," Dr Srinath said.
In their representation, the doctors have also mentioned that the stipends of PG medicos should be regularised, sufficient hostels should be allocated to them and a special protection force should be deployed, in accordance with a 2019 Government Order (GO), to prevent attacks on doctors.
The problems
Starting from long duty hours to monetary issues, the medico from KMC discusses how even a single day is laced with difficulties for them. "One of the major issues we face is long duty hours. According to the National Medical Commission (NMC), the duty hours should be limited for PG residents, as per a notice released by it in August 2022. But for us, the duty goes up to 36, 48 and sometimes even 72 hours, without proper rest," he says.
"We start from 9 in the morning, attending patients till 2 pm and then continue working in the Emergency ward till 9 in the evening. After this, there are miscellaneous works that continue till the next day, and we can only get free by 4 in the afternoon. Barely a day later, the routine starts again," he explains.
Dr Srinath mentions that the state's bond policy is also a cause of worry for them. "The amount is increasing day by day. In 2021 it was Rs 20 lakh; in 2022, it was made Rs 50 lakh. As such, if a particular type of work doesn't interest a doctor, he or she is unable to leave it because of the high amount of the bond," he says.
"Lack of good infrastructure and faculty are also major problems," he adds. He explains that they do not have proper toilets and restrooms in their workplaces. And the faculty does not often cooperate. "If faculty kept an eye on the work, seniors wouldn't have to interfere in juniors' work," Dr Srinath tells.
