Residents blame stress, workload for Dr Vaidya’s suicide

NAGPUR: No one knows why Dr Manyukumar Vaidya ended his life on Wednesday, however, all his fellow residents said they work under tremendous pressure, and suffer through immense stress. They believe the stressful schedule and long working hours must be one of the foremost causes of the suicide by the first-year PG resident at IGGMC.
“I can’t believe Manyu has taken this step. He was a very talented and bright doctor. He was one of the first PG residents to join IGGMC this year. He selected obstetrics and gynaecology intentionally as it was his interest,” said unit mate Dr Rajat Agrawal.
The other resident doctors also said he was a very sensitive person, a bit introvert, who used to compose poems too. Dr Vaidya’s social media profile also introduces him as an unpublished poet, literature and history lover, and one who was deeply interested in Veda philosophy as well as spirituality.
Some of his batchmates told TOI that language problems must have made him more introvert. It was difficult for him to understand and speak Marathi and Hindi. Due to this, he used to spend most of his time in the wards, and hardly find time to rest in the hostel, they said.
“No one denies that we are working under tremendous pressure. But sharing it with your fellow residents may bring out solutions. Communicating with each other, befriending each other and sharing your thoughts is the way to stay away from suicidal tendency,” said Dr Aashima, who is a senior in the same department. She also appealed to dean Dr Ajay Keoliya to conduct orientation workshops for students coming from distant places, so that they can cope with the atmosphere and work culture.
Maharashtra Resident Doctor Association (MARD) office bearers also paid condolences to Dr Vaidya. “He never filed any complaint with us during all these days. If he had, MARD would have helped him,” said Dr Virendra Kadam, president of MARD in IGGMC.
Dean Dr Ajay Keoliya said he will form an internal committee to investigate the reasons behind the incident. “While police will do their job, we will form an internal panel to investigate this case. We have lost a bright resident doctor. We have informed his family members and they are on way to Nagpur,” he said.
Meanwhile, MARD has now decided to hold an introduction workshop to bring all resident doctors together. “It’s unfortunate that we don’t know fellow residents from other departments. This workshop will bring us together so we get friends within the hospital, and no one will feel lonely or depressed,” said Dr Prathamesh Aswale, MARD general secretary at IGGMC.