64 MBBS, 58 PG Medicos Committed Suicide in Last Five Years, reveals NMC Data

New Delhi: Among the 122 medical students who committed suicide in the last five years i.e. between 2018 and 2022, altogether 64 students were pursuing MBBS courses and 58 were doctors pursuing various postgraduate medical courses, revealed the National Medical Commission (NMC) while responding to a Right to Information (RTI) application.

State-wise, most of the MBBS students who committed suicide in these last five years belonged to Kerala (9 students) and Tamil Nadu (8 students). On the other hand, the highest number of doctors, who committed suicide while pursuing PG medical courses belonged to Karnataka and Maharashtra. In these two states, 11 PG medicos each committed suicide during their course of study.

NMC revealed this data while responding to an RTI application filed by Dr. Vivek Pandey, a copy of which is with the Medical Dialogues team. Filing the RTI, activist Dr. Pandey sought the details of undergraduate and postgraduate medical students who committed suicide during the last 5 years till December 2023. He also requested NMC to provide the details of medicos who dropped out of institutes during this period.

NMC provided the details regarding the number of medicos who committed suicide and who dropped out of medical colleges on 07.02.2024.

MBBS Students who Committed Suicide during the last five years: 

As per the NMC data, a total number of 64 MBBS students committed suicide in the last five years between 2018 and 2022. Among these, 9 students belonged to Kerala, and 8 students belonged to Tamil Nadu. In States like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Rajasthan, 5 MBBS students each committed suicide in the last five years. 

Apart from these, 1 MBBS student each committed suicide in Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Sikkim and Telangana. 3 medicos committed suicide in Maharashtra, 4 MBBS students in Mizoram, 3 MBBS students each committed suicide in Orissa, Puducherry, and West Bengal, and 4 MBBS students committed suicide in Uttar Pradesh.

Doctors pursuing PG medical courses who committed suicide in the last 5 years: 

Year-wise Break up: 

Year-wise, in the year 2018, 6 doctors committed suicide who were pursuing various PG medical courses. Among them, 1 doctor was pursuing MS Clinical, 5 doctors were pursuing MD Clinical courses.

Back in 2019, altogether 17 PG medical students committed suicide, and among them 3 doctors were pursuing MS Clinical courses, 9 doctors were pursuing MD clinical courses and 5 doctors were pursuing MD/MS Pre & Para Clinical branches.

As per the data, 19 doctors pursuing PG medical courses committed suicide in 2020, and among them, 3 doctors were pursuing MS Clinical, 13 doctors were pursuing MD Clinical courses, and 3 doctors were pursuing MD/MS pre & para clinical branches. 

Altogether 7 doctors committed suicide in 2021 while pursuing PG medical courses. Among them, 2 were pursuing MS Clinical courses, 3 doctors were pursuing MD Clinical courses and 2 of them were pursuing MD/MS pre and para clinical branches.

Back in 2022, a total number of 9 PG medical students committed suicide and among them, 3 doctors were pursuing MS Clinical, 6 doctors were pursuing MD Clinical and 9 doctors were pursuing MD/MS pre and para clinical branches.

State/UT wise break up: 

As per the data shared by NMC in response to the RTI application, among the 58 doctors who committed suicide while pursuing PG medical courses, 11 doctors each belonged to Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Besides, 1 doctor each committed suicide while pursuing PG medical courses in States like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand.

Apart from these States, 2 doctors committed suicide while pursuing PG courses in Delhi, 9 doctors in Gujarat, 4 doctors in Pondicherry, 6 doctors in Rajasthan, and 5 doctors who committed suicide were pursuing PG medical courses in Uttar Pradesh.

Also Read: 122 Suicides, 1270 Drop-Outs in Last 5 Years: NMC Constitutes National Task Force to address mental health concerns of medicos

While discussing the reasons why medical students are committing suicide, experts have cited the workload faced by the medical students as the reason.

Commenting on the matter, Dr Aviral Mathur, president of the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) told Medical Dialogues, "Postgraduate medical students face unique challenges that add to their mental health woes. excessive workload, demanding clinical responsibilities, and inadequate support systems contribute to burnout and emotional exhaustion among PG students. The lack of work-life balance and limited opportunities for self-care compound the problem, leading to increased levels of stress and anxiety. In face, the relentless schedule imposed on these students not only jeopardizes their mental health but also compromises patient care and safety. The challenging environment in healthcare settings often leads to distressing situations where disgruntled relatives of patients may vent their frustrations on Postgraduate students who are on duty, even when these students are not at fault. This unfortunate reality underscores the urgent need for improved support and protection for PG students who face such situations."

He also referred to inadequate support mechanisms to address the mental health concerns of medical students and added, "Moreover the stigma associated with mental illness often leads to underreporting and a reluctance to seek help, perpetuating a cycle of suffering in silence."

"This issue is further exacerbated by the harsh realities of bond service, which places an undue financial and mental burden on medical students at various stages of their education, including MBBS, PG, and Superspecialty," opined Dr. Mathur. "Additionally, the imposition of seat leaving penalties for postgraduate and superspecialty students only serves to exacerbate the problem. Students who wish to discontinue their education due to personal or professional reasons should not be penalized financially or mentally. There should be established provisions that allow students to leave their seats without incurring significant financial or academic repercussions, prioritizing their mental well-being and academic freedom," he added.

When asked about the possible solution, he stressed on the importance of a "collaborative approach" and added, "by working together to implement comprehensive support systems, raise awareness, and destigmatize mental illness, we can create a more nurturing and supportive environment for medical students to thrive."

Commenting on the matter, Dr. Rohan Krishnan, the National Chairman of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) referred to the overall seriousness and competitiveness in medical education, which has increased with time.

He told Medical Dialogues, "Medical education requires much more labour to become a doctor and to pass the exams. Compared to the number of seats and medical colleges, the job opportunities for the government sector in medical colleges are very low."

"In this era of super-specialisation, MBBS has become a mere degree. The public doesn't consider them doctors. So students pursuing MBBS have to think about further studies and the pressure to enter into postgraduate medical courses is very high," he added.

Dr. Krishnan further highlighted the issue of the lack of an adequate number of faculties and proper infrastructure in the medical colleges. He pointed out that even though the Government has increased the number of medical colleges when considered the larger perspective, the students in these medical colleges feel pressurized because of the lack of infrastructure.

"Apart from that, family issues, lack of counselling, and extra-curricular activities also contribute to the mental tension of medical students," mentioned Dr. Krishnan, adding that "The issue can be solved by increasing the number of faculties. Fake medical colleges on paper medical colleges should be shut down and proper action should be taken. This way, the medical students studying in these medical colleges will feel safe and secure in their career prospects. If doctors are not good, the population cannot be healthy as well."

Meanwhile, recently, taking cognizance of cases of depression and suicide by medical students, the Anti-Ragging Committee of NMC has set up a National Task Force to address the mental health of medicos.