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

New Delhi: Alleging toxic work culture, 5 resident doctors of Gandhi Medical College, Hamidiya Hospital, Bhopal, have 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.

Writing to the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), the doctors said "If proper and immediate steps will not be taken within two months.. Then to lodge our protest we 5 residents will do suicide in a single day on 31st May 2024. This College and hospital will be famous for suicide and toxicity in the future. This letter could also be considered as our suicide note."

Sharing the letter on X (formerly Twitter), the Chairman of FAIMA, Dr. Rohan Krishnan extended the association's support to the affected doctors. 

Speaking to Medical Dialogues, the National Chairman of FAIMA, Dr. Rohan Krishnan termed the matter as a "sensitive and very serious issue." He informed that  FAIMA has already formed a committee, headed by him, to address the issue. "We have also appointed consultant psychiatrists and leaders of the Junior Doctors' Association of Madhya Pradesh, and Resident Doctors' Association of GMC Bhopal," he mentioned. 

"We have already communicated with the Dean of the GMC Bhopal and he has assured us that he is going to speak with the JDA and come out with a positive solution for this. Apart from this, we have also reached out to the office of the Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister of Madhya Pradesh. We are definitely going to solve this issue. We are sure that a positive solution will come out of it," he added.

Addressing the plights of the resident doctors at GMC Bhopal, Dr. Krishnan further said, "I feel sad as a senior medical professional that my juniors have to do something like this for management and even us to take cognisance of the matter. However, I want to convey to all five students and other resident doctors of GMC Bhopal that they need not worry. Whatever problems they are facing, they can contact me with other means as well and we will solve this issue."

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

What did the Students Allege in the letter? 

Flagging the prevalent toxic work culture at GMC Bhopal, the resident doctors alleged in the letter that they have to deal with toxicity at the institute and Hamidiya Hospital. They said that they have been dealing with the toxic culture for a long time, the doctors added that they had expected that things would change after the suicide of two doctors last year.

The letter referred to one such incident that took place on 31st July 2023 when a 27-year-old 3rd-year gynaecology resident doctor who was 14 weeks pregnant committed suicide by injecting an overdose of anaesthesia. As per the suicide note left by the deceased doctor, she succumbed to the toxicity and lack of ethics at the GMC. The other instance of suicide took place in January 2023 when a 24-year-old 1st-year paediatrics student committed suicide by injecting an overdose of anaesthesia and painkillers because she could not handle the pressure.

Referring to these two instances, the letter by the resident doctors mentioned that more doctors will follow this path of committing suicide if the situation does not improve.

The PG medicos alleged that they are forced to work for more than 24 hours without sleep and sometimes more than 36 hours. They are allegedly not given leave even for one day- even on Sundays and they have no holidays as well. The doctors allegedly have to work even when they fall sick.

Further, the resident doctors claimed in the letter that they have to face verbal abuse by seniors and consultants even after doing so much work. They alleged that they are being threatened as well of failing the exam and not receiving their degrees.

Highlighting the issues like lack of ethics, toxic culture, and torture, the resident doctors claimed that "Only 10-15 minute breaks are given in a day, even for food, so our health deteriorating day by day."

"Above problems are facing by every 1st year resident doctor because everyone knows how seniors treat 1st years in the medical field. Doctor residents are not mentally healthy, due to the toxicity & torture, they are depressed, so how could you expect from them for "No room for errors"," the letter further stated.

The resident doctors have claimed that 'those who are saving the lives of others are not getting proper sleep, rest or food. Therefore they are only playing with their own lives. They questioned what about the health and lives of these doctors'

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

While the PG medicos had hoped that the situation would change after the death of two doctors last year, allegedly the situation remains the same and the only steps that were taken were on paper for show-off purposes, they alleged.

The doctors claimed that the situation should not be read only from the perspective of two suicides, when in reality thousands of resident doctors, especially those in their first years, are facing the same torture. While everyone wants to end their lives, not everyone is brave enough to take the step to commit suicide, the letter mentioned.

Addressing the Chief Minister of the State, the resident doctors urged him to understand the pain of the medicos. They suggested that if the Government wants to provide health facilities to more people then the number of staff should be increased and opined that forcing the resident doctors to work 24-36 hours is not the solution. 

Sharing the letter, Dr. Rohan Krishnan wrote on X "Dear Brothers / Sisters, pls keep note that suicide is not a solution. @FAIMA_INDIA_ stands with you. @NMC_IND will also do everything possible to ease your situation. We will be resolving this issue within twenty four hours and do everything necessary to meet all three demands mentioned in the letter. A committee will be formed by today evening and visit will be done by our representatives."

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.

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.

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