14 suicides of medical students in 5 yrs, state to develop ‘faculty support aids

Not only that, a total of 85 post-graduation medical students opted out of their course in the past five years in the state.

Ahead of the National Suicide Day observed on September 10, The Indian Express spoke with medical students who attribute these distressing events to insufficient counselling services, which often leave overwhelmed students dealing with personal issues, work-related stress, or the scourge of ragging feeling unsupported. “We are frequently required to work for 24-48 hours continuously without proper rest or adequate food intake. Many students suffer from conditions like anaemia and malnutrition, which further deteriorate their mental health,” shared a student from BYL Nair Hospital. In 2019, the institution tragically lost a post-graduate girl student to alleged ragging. “This situation leads to heightened agitation and short tempers when students are unable to manage their personal life problems,” the student added.

The most recent case of suicide within a medical college has been reported at Government Medical College and Hospital in Gondia. In this incident, a 23-year-old trainee doctor named Bhushan Vilas Wadhonkar took his own life by hanging himself in the hostel. Just the previous month, another incident occurred when a 24-year-old postgraduate student who was pursuing a Doctor of Medicine (MD) course at KEM Hospital allegedly died by suicide at the civic-run Tuberculosis Hospital in Sewri. Prior to that, a 21-year-old first-year MBBS student from BJ Government Medical College in Pune also tragically ended her life, citing stress and study-related issues as contributing factors in the lead-up to her upcoming examinations.

A recent study conducted by Solapur’s Government Medical College shed light on how the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the mental health challenges faced by MBBS students. Among the 619 undergraduate students who participated in the study, a staggering 358 (57.83 percent) reported extremely severe anxiety, 103 (16.63 percent) experienced extremely severe depression, and 68 (10.98 percent) endured extremely severe stress.

Recently, the National Medical Council (NMC) has taken action in response to this issue and has issued directives to medical colleges across India to prioritize the well-being of their students. In line with this, the state medical education department is currently in the process of assigning one faculty member to oversee the progress and welfare of 15 individual students throughout their MBBS course.

To elaborate, a senior official explained that for the duration of the five-year course, each faculty member will be responsible for monitoring the well-being of three students within their designated batch. The official further clarified, “Given the considerable number of medical students, it is not feasible for faculty members to individually supervise all of them. Therefore, we will allocate one faculty member per batch who will assume responsibility for their students’ well-being until they graduate from the colleges.” The faculty will remain in a constant touch through a joint WhatsApp group.

Colleges are also taking initiatives at their individual-level. For instance, Mumbai’s Seth G S Medical College, also known as KEM Hospital, has taken proactive steps by appointing two dedicated counsellors to provide support to their medical students. The programme, named ‘Dosti,’ has been in operation for nearly a year, and approximately 100 students have already benefited from it. Dr Sangeeta Ravat, the Dean of the hospital said, “Whenever a student experiences anxiety or displays symptoms of mental health concerns, they are referred to the counsellors. Additionally, students can approach the counsellors directly, ensuring the confidentiality of their discussions. We are in the process of hiring another counsellor.”