NMC’s mental health task force suggests better pay, 74-hour work week for medics
The report also supports abolition of the bond policy where students have to pay the state exchequer if they leave their course midway or do not provide services in rural areas or other specified services.
The committee suggested that medical colleges across the country adopt the pay scale of AIIMS-New Delhi to get rid of the variation in compensation that ranges between Rs 15,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
A task force of National Medical Commission (NMC) has recommended AIIMS-Delhi pay structure in all medical colleges and maximum 74 working hours in a week for resident doctors among the measures to be taken for medical professionals’ better mental wellbeing.
The National Task Force on Mental Health and Wellbeing of Medical Students under the country’s apex medical education regulatory body, NMC, was set up in view of cases of suicide among medical students. Data from the National Medical Commission shows that there were 122 suicides by medical students in the last five years.
According to an online survey of 25,590 undergraduate students, 5,337 postgraduate students, and 7,035 faculty members, the committee found prevalence of a high number of mental health issues. Among UG students, 27.8% said they have been diagnosed with some mental condition and 16.2% had suicidal ideation. Among PG students, 31.23% reported having suicidal thoughts in their life, 10.5% thought of suicide in the last one year, and 4.4% attempted suicide in the last year.
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