Stressed, depressed doctor kills herself in Mumbai

A first-year resident doctor of Sion hospital committed suicide at her Dharavi residence by injecting herself with a medicine overdose.

On Tuesday morning, Swyambo Nadar found his daughter Dr Sukanya, 24, in an unconscious state. He rushed her to Sion hospital, but she was declared death before admission.
The police found syringes in the room, but no suicide note.

“According to her parents and colleagues she was unhappy with her PG-CET results. She wanted to be a gynaecologist but had to take up anaesthesiology. But, we are investigating other angles too,” said inspector Abdulhaq Desai of the Dharavi police station.

The police are also awaiting the post-mortem results. “We have sent her viscera to the Forensic Science Laboratory. Only after the report arrives, we will know what medicine she overdosed on and the quantity,” said a doctor, on condition of anonymity.

After completing her MBBS from JJ hospital, Dr Sukanya scored 422 in the PG-CET exams and secured a seat at BJ Medical College at Pune. She worked there for two months and then got into Sion hospital.

“She was depressed. She had to settle for anaesthesiology and she couldn’t leave the seat as her family could not afford the bond amount. She was stressed working long hours, which most resident doctors are concerned about,” said one of Sukanya’s colleague at the hospital.

Swyambo still cannot believe his girl could take such a drastic step.

“We lost everything in one day. Though we were poor, I always wanted a doctor and an engineer in my family. My dream came true when Sukanya became a doctor and my son Bharat an engineer.”

He blamed the administration for treating doctors badly. “BJ Medical College is yet to pay her salary for two months. And from the day she joined Sion hospital, she never had a peaceful day. They made her work 24x7. She would to leave early morning and return home the next day evening,” alleged Swyambo, a class IV railway employee.

“She returned home at 7pm on Monday. She was quiet but it wasn’t unusual. When I went to bed, she was already asleep,” said Bharat.

As the family waited outside the Sion hospital to claim her body, Swyambo broke down. “I thought I would see her walking out of the hospital in her doctor’s coat. I never thought I will have to take her body from this hospital.”

Authorities at Sion hospital refused to comment on her death. “She committed suicide outside the hospital. We have nothing to do with it. She had joined us a few days ago,” said Dr Sandhya Kamat, dean of Sion hospital.