An unfortunate death of a senior resident was reported at Delhi's Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and Post Graduate Institute on Tuesday, December 11. A senior resident doctor from the general medicine department, Dr Adil Amin, succumbed to a cardiac arrest while on duty rounds.
The condolence letter issued by the hospital on December 11 said, "It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts for ABVIMS & Dr. RML Hospital for the loss of Dr. Adil Amin (31.01.1987 to 11.12.2024) working as Senior Resident in General Medicine since 11" March, 2021."
"Our deepest sympathy & heartfelt condolences with his family & friends during this tough time. Please accept sincere condolences from ABVIMS & Dr. RML Hospital for your profound loss," it added.
Revealing details about the incident, a source from RML said, "Adil Amin was suffering from chest pain when he was on his rounds. Although an ECG (electrocardiogram) was conducted, the fatality couldn't be prevented. We are all still in shock."
While the medical fraternity is appalled and mourning the tragic loss to the community, this regrettable incident brings to light a few concerns of healthcare working professionals, as pointed out by the Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum, such as:
- Overloaded with work and patients
- Lack of breaks or rest hours
- Improper dietary and lifestyle patterns
- Stress and anxiety and others
"The death of a young senior resident in the medicine department of RML hospital due to a myocardial infarction during ward rounds has brought to the fore problems like unhealthy lifestyle, stressful working conditions, and alarming lack of time given to the needs of resident doctors," shared Dr Siddharth Tara from Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum.
An intern at RML, on condition of anonymity, said, "Doctors who are just starting their postgraduate careers in fields including medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, paediatrics, obstetrics, and gynaecology have extremely demanding work schedules."
"In certain medical colleges, recent graduates work 36-hour shifts, and even longer in others. In India, citizens' duty hours are not set in stone. Sometimes, we are unable to eat our meals on time. Clinical settings have no work-life balance; hence, the NMC (National Medical Commission) must enact legislation establishing set work schedules for Indian physicians," the intern urged.
Dr Bibhu Anand, National Executive, Delhi Unit-FAIMA (Federation of various India Medical Association) and a senior resident at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, said, "The workload is intense in hospitals, especially government hospitals. Skipping breakfast, lunch, or breaks has become a part of our routine. Our bodies are unable to cope with the stress we undergo at work hours," he stressed.
Reports & numbers
According to reports, every year, one or more doctors on duty are falling victim to cardiac arrests. Adil Amin's is the second such case of 2024. In May this year, a 25-year-old doctor, Dr Deepak Sharma, died of a cardiac arrest while on night duty at Bhopal’s BMHRC.
The average lifespan of an Indian doctor is 55-59 years compared to 69-72 years for the general population, according to the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Pune chapter released in June 2023. One major contributing factor is cardiac arrest caused by high-stress levels from long work hours and a lack of self-care.
RG Kar protests
Amin is remembered for his dynamic contribution to the protest led by resident doctors for justice for Abhaya, a postgraduate trainee who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
"Even before he joined RML, I was acquainted with Adil Amin from 2021," Anand said
Recalling the days of protests, he said, "We interacted when all RDAs were protesting. We spoke about the plan of action for justice for Abhaya."
"We marched to the Nirman Bhavan and staged a sit-in protest as part of RG Kar demonstrations," he reconted, adding that Adil Amin was a kind man who would actively defend doctors against injustices.
Preventive measures?
A few recommendations by the Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum are:
- A free full health check-up, including keeping a check on stress levels every six months
- Annual medical examinations (both physical, psychiatric, psychological, and laboratory) should be the norm in teaching hospitals and medical colleges. Additionally, such examinations should be conducted during work hours and no salary, medical/casual/earned leaves should be deducted
- Hospitals/medical colleges failing to ensure timely completion of mandated annual physical/medical examination (APE/ME) should be fined by appropriate regulatory authorities.
- Government or corporate hospitals should be brought under the Factories Act of 1948
- If the morbidity or mortality is due to an undiagnosed or unmonitored medical condition that could have been discovered during yearly comprehensive medical examinations, hospitals will be responsible for paying for the damages in addition to reimbursement of the medical expenses of treatment and any resulting sick days. This ought to apply to incidents of aggression and injuries sustained at work as well. All employees, whether on a contract or permanent, should be covered.
- Lack of manpower or productivity cannot be valid excuses for hospital administrators to escape from these responsibilities. No excuses short of war/conflict/deadly epidemics/sustained natural disasters in the local region should exempt a hospital from these liabilities if it fails to complete its APE promptly.
