MBBS doctor preparing for NEET PG commits suicide

Faridkot: In a tragic incident, an MBBS doctor from Faridkot recently committed suicide by hanging herself. The doctor was pursuing her mandatory internship at the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital (GGSMCH) in Faridkot.

Punjab Police informed UNI that the medico was found hanging by her neck on Wednesday. According to the Police, the doctor was reportedly under immense stress as she was preparing to appear in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) examination for admission to her master's degree (MD) programme.

However, police have informed that while suicide is suspected, the exact reason behind her untimely demise remains unclear. They have taken the body into custody and sent it for autopsy. Further investigation into the matter is underway.

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

Sharing the news on X (formerly Twitter), the Indian Doctor termed the incident as "tragic" and also wrote, "Dr ***, a resident of Faridkot, who was doing her internship at GGS Medical College #Faridkot died due to #suicide ! Reason for suicide is not known, but it is said that She was preparing for #Neetpg,for which she was very worried! #MedTwitter #RIP."

The tragic incident has highlighted the pressing issue of mental health and the challenges faced by medical professionals, particularly those navigating demanding academic and professional pathways.

According to the National Medical Commission's data, 153 MBBS and 1120 doctors pursuing PG medical courses dropped out of their institutes in the last five years. Apart from the dropouts, at least 122 medical students, 64 in MBBS and 58 in post-graduate courses died by suicide between 2018 - 2023.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that taking cognizance of cases of depression and suicide by medical students, the National Medical Commission (NMC) formed a Task Force under the Anti-ragging Committee to tackle mental health-related issues among medical students.

Also Read: Will not allow any student to die or be depressed: NMC's Dr Yogender Malik

Earlier this year, addressing the mental health concerns among the medicos across the country, Dr. Yogender Malik, Member of Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB), NMC had assured, "We will not allow any student to be depressed and not one student to die in this country because they are a big resource for this country and the PM of the country is trying to increase the numbers over the years."

"This task force is under the anti-ragging committee. Actually, we have been working on the mental health issues of the students right from the beginning with NMC. The PG board came out with regulations that they should get leaves and rest, and all infrastructure and yoga were also introduced. But despite this, we were getting reports that owing to some other reasons, suicides and mental health issues are there amongst the students," he had earlier mentioned.

Meanwhile, recently, alleging a toxic work culture, 5 resident doctors of Gandhi Medical College, Hamidiya Hospital, Bhopal, threatened to commit mass suicide on 31st May 2024 if the authorities do not address their complaints. The doctors have demanded the authorities to stop the non-stop working hours which can go for more than 24 hours and sometimes 36 hours. They have further urged the authorities to ensure a healthy working environment and to stop the toxicity and abuse.

Also Read: Toxic Work Culture allegations rocks Gandhi Medical College Bhopal: 5 resident doctors threaten mass suicide