Docs' Association demands committees in medical colleges to evaluate mental health of medicos

Central MARD demanded state-level Redressal committees at the medical colleges, working hours not exceeding 48 hours per week and relaxation in seat leaving penalty.

Central MARD has written to the Governor of Maharashtra regarding the ongoing mental health crisis among the resident doctors of the state. 

The letter talks about the increasing suicide rates among Resident doctors since a long time. The letter added, "we have found that Maharashtra alarmingly ranks second in the Nation when it comes to suicides committed by medical students. As per Lok sabha Data, 14 medical students have lost their lives to suicide in the last 5 year in Maharashtra among which 11 were post graduate students."

Central MARD conducted research, and based on that, the following are the reasons that look responsible for the suicide:

Toxic seniority leads to a hostile work culture that in many institutes and multiple departments resident doctors routinely face humiliation, public embarrassment and indignity on a daily basis from the seniors of their respective departments. Another reason is the long working hours - the resident doctors routinely work for 100 to 120 hours per week with on-call duties stretching to 36 hours at times. This inhumane work culture overburdens a doctor's mental state. The Association demanded that the working hours should not increase by more than 12 hours a day.

"It has been seen the residents consider choosing to commit suicide rather than just leave the course because there exists a strict 10 lakh rupees seat leaving penalty plus an additional 10 lakh rupees penalty if seat lapses. At a time when a resident is already under tremendous psychological pressure a financial burden in the range of 20 lakh rupees further encourages the unfortunate resident to consider a certain death which seems to be the easier choice," added the letter.

The association demanded to set up monthly evaluation committees in every medical college including the dean, faculties from the department of Psychiatry, faculties of every department and members of MARD.

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