Grant Medical College Paediatrics Medico Attempts Suicide due to alleged Toxic Work Culture, Resident Doctors on Strike
JJ Hospital Paediatrics Dept
Mumbai: The resident doctors of the paediatric department of Sir Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals have initiated an indefinite strike after a 3rd year paediatrics medico attempted suicide recently due to alleged toxic work culture.
Reportedly, the doctor tried to end her life by consuming Lorazepam tablets. After she was found, the doctor was immediately rushed to the casualty department and was eventually stabilised in the MICU.
It has been alleged that the doctor was facing harassment and discrimination from the head of the department, who is also her PG guide and local guardian. In a recent release, the students at the department informed that due to trivial reasons, the doctor was targeted and belittled on numerous occasions, especially in front of the patient relatives from the beginning of her residency.
This torture soon became unbearable for her. She tried to seek professional psychiatric help. On numerous occasions, she felt anxious and helpless and felt that there was no way out, the students at the department claimed.
The situation worsened over the past three months when the resident doctor was allegedly threatened that she would not be allowed to even appear for her MD exams.
As per the release, the day before the horrifying incident, the doctor had tried to seek help and attempted to message the HOD to inform about her frail mental state. Allegedly, the doctor told the HOD that this was her last cry for help and she was considering ending her life. However, this plea for help was allegedly not acknowledged, leading the doctor to take such an extreme step of attempting suicide.
"This incident has been a wake up call for all of us regarding systematic abuse and torture faced by all the residents in the department. The daily verbal humiliation, unfair treatment of some residents as compared to others and the harrassment has been going on from years. We have suffered in silence because we were too afraid of retaliation by the HOD in power," the release from the students of the paediatric department mentioned.
The resident doctors have alleged that the department witnesses favouritism as the HoD allegedly refuses to rotate postings and only takes chosen "good residents", while the rest of the doctors get banished to peripheral postings for months on end.
"There are arbitrary, illogical decisions like unexplained pay cut, not considering any family emergencies or not even paying any heed to resident’s physical/mental/emotional well being. HOD has lack of trust towards the residents, even senior faculty, and blame shifting on residents is a common scenario. Toxicity is to such an extent that passout candidates refuse to join back as Senior residents or even Assistant professors," the residents mentioned in the release.
Residents on Indefinite Strike:
After the 3rd year resident attempted suicide, the resident doctors at the paediatrics departments have now launched an indefinite strike. "To think that our lives matter less than the ego and arrogance of those in power is extremely disheartening. We refuse to stay silent anymore. We have approached the authorities regarding the same and a committee," said the release.
The protesting doctors have demanded a permanent transfer of the HoD from JJ Hospital, adding that they would continue their indefinite strike until their demands are met.
Speaking to Medical Dialogues, a resident doctor from the Paediatrics Department said, "We want the permanent transfer of the Head of the Department from JJ Hospital. There should be an end to toxic work culture and harassment of resident doctors."
Central MARD & MSRDA Extend Solidarity to Protesting Doctors:
Extending solidarity to the protesting doctors, the Maharashtra State Association of Resident Doctors and Maharashtra Senior Resident Doctors Association recently wrote to the State Minister of Medical Education, Shri Hasan Mushrif Saheb.
The associations expressed grave concern and unequivocal condemnation of the continued departmental toxicity and harassment faced by the resident doctors in the Department of Paediatrics.
Terming the recent attempted suicide as "tragic and alarming", the doctors under Central MARD and MSRDA pointed out that this was not an isolated event but a manifestation of the sustained mental harassment, abuse of power, and hostile working environment that has long plagued the department.
"We demand that this incident be treated with utmost urgency and seriousness. The toxic leadership and the oppressive departmental environment are not just unethical — they are life-threatening. If timely action is not taken, the system itself becomes complicit in the irreversible loss of young, dedicated lives," Central MARD and MSRDA mentioned in their letters.
Highlighting their zero tolerance against departmental toxicity and hierarchical bullying, the associations reminded the authorities that the medical colleges are institutes of learning and service and not centers of fear and subjugation and therefore, no resident doctor should be driven to the edge due to mental torture in the name of training.
They have demanded the immediate suspension of the current HoD Paediatrics pending inquiry, an independent, time-bound investigation into the ongoing harassment and work culture of the department, psychological support, safety and grievance redressal mechanisms for resident doctors in all departments, and an assurance from the government that such toxic environments will not be tolerated anywhere in the state medical education system.
Extending solidarity to the protesting doctors, MSRDA and Central MARD have announced that if corrective measures are not taken, the issue will be escalated statewide.
"MSRDA strongly condemns the incident nd we oppose departmental toxicity in any form. We firm stand with the residents in all means," said the president of MSRDA, Dr. Abhijit Helge.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the allegations of toxic work culture were raised at the Department of Sir Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals. Back then, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) had decided to initiate an indefinite strike seeking the removal of the HoD of Dermatology.
