‘He was usually quiet,had difficulty in understanding local language’

According to sources,workload in the transfusion department is considered “lighter” than departments where direct patient interaction takes place.

“He had some difficulty in understanding the local language. Also,he had some hearing difficulty for which he was undergoing treatment in the ENT department,” a faculty member at the department said. “He was usually quiet.”

Officials in the department said they never received any verbal or written complaint from Nagendra. “He would participate in various activities and also attended a fellow resident’s birthday party last week. Its shocking why he took such a step,” a resident doctor said.

Resident doctors are stressed out?
Nagendra’s death was the fourth alleged suicide in PGI since September last year. Resident doctors say the working condition in the region’s premier institute is poor.

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD),which met on Monday evening,asserted that ragging was never an issue at the institute. But they said that postgraduate resident doctors have crammed schedules.

“We have prepared a three-point agenda of our demands,which has been submitted to the authorities. The overall condition in which the resident doctors stay needs improvement,” ARD president Dr Vishal said. “But we have never come across any ragging complaint from residents.”

The doctors’ demands are: Duty hours should be restricted between six and eight hours,instead of up to 15 hours; one weekly off and preferably an extra off after a doctor works for 24 hours; hostel,mess and the overall living conditions should be improved.

“Its not that we have raised these demands for the first time. It has been done a couple of times earlier. But no one seems to bother,” a resident doctor said.

Ironically,the incident has rocked PGI when the residents are celebrating their annual cultural event,considered a time to unwind.