The Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has written to the director of the institute asking him to ensure that the physicians working in the country’s premier health facility have access to psychologists in order to remain mentally healthy and emotionally strong.
“Resident doctors at the institute work under continuous pressure and stress related to long working hours. We are also constantly multi-tasking. All this takes a toll and we would like the institute to look at preventive options, and support its residents and students,” said AIIMS RDA president Dr. Harjit Singh Bhatti.
In a one-page letter to the director, the RDA said: “We strongly demand that there should be more counselling psychologists (at least five) and a 24-hour helpline number to ensure mental well being of the residents/students”.
The RDA added that they wanted to bring to the attention of the hospital authorities the “growing incidence of suicide and other mental health issues among the residents/students”.
‘Insufficient services’
“Every year there has been one to two attempted/completed suicide in our institute. Also, there has been a recent increase of residents/students consulting mental health professionals. We should look at this as an early warning and immediately put in place measures to ensure the complete health of residents/students,” read the letter.
The doctors said that though there is a students’ welfare cell for the undergraduates, there is no such facility for the residents.
“The existing services seem insufficient to cater to the growing mental health issues of the residents/students. We perceive a need for promotive, preventive and curative mental health among the residents/students to withstand work-related stress,” said AIIMS RDA general secretary Dr. Snehil Gupta.
