No data of Medical Intern suicide with Govt: Health Minister
New Delhi: The Union Minister of State for Health Shri Prataprao Jadhav recently informed the Rajya Sabha that the Government does not have any central data on the medical interns who have committed suicides in Government-run hospitals in India.
Parliament member Shri Sukhendu Sekhar Ray sought to know from the Union Minister of Health about the number of medical interns who have committed suicides in the Government-run hospitals in the country during the last five years.
However, in response, Minister Jadhav informed, "The data of Medical interns who have committed suicides in Government run hospitals in the country is not maintained centrally."
While the Central Government has clarified that there is no central data on the number of suicides committed by medical interns, earlier this year, the National Medical Commission (NMC) shared the data in this regard while responding to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by Health Activist Dr. Vivek Pandey.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that NMC had revealed that altogether 122 medical students committed suicide in the last five years i.e. between 2018 and 2022 and among them altogether 64 students were pursuing MBBS courses and 58 students were pursuing postgraduate medical courses.
Also Read: 64 MBBS, 58 PG Medicos Committed Suicide in Last Five Years, reveals NMC Data
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.
Measures Taken by Centre to Address Mental Health of Medical Students:
Meanwhile, Parliament member Shri Sukhendu Sekhar Ray also questioned the Union MoS Health regarding the preventive measures initiated so far to combat the situation where medical students were committing suicides.
In response, Minister Jadhav informed that to address the mental health challenges and to promote student well-being, NMC has implemented the following measures:
i. A 15-Member National Task Force was constituted by the Anti-Ragging committee of the National Medical Commission (NMC) in February 2024 on Mental Health and Well-being of Medical Students recommended establishment of Centralized Reporting Systems, development of a robust, centralized system for reporting and monitoring suicides, promoting supportive environment, addressing systemic issues. implementation of regular training programs, among others to address mental health issues in medical students.
ii. Aggrieved students can lodge complaints related to mental health and ragging on NMC's website as well as other portals such as Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS).
iii. National Medical Commission Regulations such as Prevention and Prohibition of Ragging in Medical College and Institutions Regulations, 2021 require Colleges to submit annual compliance report and prescribe punitive actions for offenders.
As per the Minister, to address the burden of the mental disorders, the Government of India is also implementing the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) in the country.
"The District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) component of the NMHP has been sanctioned for implementation in 767 districts for which support is provided to States/UTs through the National Health Mission. Facilities made available under DMHP at the Community Health Centre(CHC) and Primary Health Centre(PHC) levels, inter- alia, include outpatient services, assessment, counselling/ psycho-social interventions, continuing care and support to persons with severe mental disorders, drugs, outreach services, ambulance services etc. In addition to above services there is a provision of 10 bedded in-patient facility at the District level," informed the Minister.
The objectives of DMHP are as follows:
(i) to provide suicide prevention services, work place stress management, life skills training and counselling in schools and colleges.
(ii) to provide mental health services including prevention, promotion and long-term continuing care at different levels of district healthcare delivery system.
(iii) to augment institutional capacity in terms of infrastructure, equipment and human resource for mental healthcare.
(iv) to promote community awareness and participation in the delivery of mental healthcare services.
Additionally, the Government is also taking steps to strengthen mental healthcare services at the primary healthcare level. The Government has upgraded more than 1.73 lakh Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Mental health services have been added in the package of services under Comprehensive Primary Health Care provided at these Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Operational guidelines on Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders (MNS) at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been released under the ambit of Ayushman Bharat, informed the Minister.
The MoS Health further mentioned that the Government has also released the National Suicide Prevention Strategy in November 2022 and this strategy is available on the website of the Ministry.
Further, the Government has also launched a "National Tele Mental Health Programme" on 10th October, 2022, to further improve access to quality mental health counselling and care services in the country, informed the MoS Health.
"As on 22.11.2024, 36 States/ UTs have set up 53 Tele MANAS Cells and have started tele mental health services. More than 15,95,000 calls have been handled on the helpline number. The Government has also launched Tele MANAS Mobile Application on the occasion of World Mental Health Day - October 10, 2024. Tele-MANAS Mobile Application is a comprehensive mobile platform that has been developed to provide support for mental health issues ranging from well being to mental disorders," informed the Minister.
"Further, D/o Higher Education has also been requested for wide publicity of NTMHP / Tele MANAS in the educational institutes under their Department and share the helpline number among the students to access the helpline during stressful and challenging times. All States/UTs have also been requested for wide circulation and publicity of NTMHP / Tele MANAS in the respective States/UTs especially among students in educational institutions. All Institutes of National Importance, AIIMS and Central Government Medical Colleges have also been requested to publicize Tele MANAS among students to access the helpline at any time for free and confidential support," he added.
