Dr Payal Tadvi Case – It’s time to introspect.

Dr Payl Tadvi Case

The suicide of Dr Payal Tadvi, a resident doctor from BYL Nair hospital, has opened a can of worms for the medical community. Primary investigation in Dr Payal Tadvi Case says that the suicide was committed due to ragging. The matter is under investigation and whether Payal’s suicide was a result of casteist taunts is yet to be proved. Considering all the possibilities, the suicide of Payal should compel every element of the society and the proficient’s to ponder upon.

Dr Payal Tadvi Case
Dr Payal Tadvi Case

If the slightest possibility of any casteism involved is found in Dr Payal Tadvi Case of suicide, it should always be strongly condemned. But at the same time, sufficient care to be taken while discussing this issue that it doesn’t further ignite the communal emotions and give birth to an apartheid system in the medical community, which never existed till now. Open communal war and ‘an eye for an eye’ cannot be a solution to any issue particularly for intellects like doctors. Since postgraduate reservations are the talk of the town in the medical field, the last few months have shown a huge communal split in the medical field. Such split in the doctors community, who are the highly polished intellectual professionals definitely proves a bad omen and predicts a possibility of social chaos. Fluctuating policies about postgraduate admissions and reservations are leaving unreserved categories with hardly one or two seats, violent exchanges between the reserved and unreserved categories on social media has lead to serious unrest in the medical field. Reservation is a controversy to be discussed separately. Although everyone has a right to fight for their rights in a democratic way, one should think with his/her discriminative intelligence too. Every doctor should remember that we are all children of Mother Medicine, and the patient is our religion, beyond our own caste, creed and religion. This issue is also a learning lesson for the government. Any social change by the government has to be brought gradually and slowly for it to be socially acceptable. Particularly issues like that of reservations in higher education can have social repercussions and lead to a communal discord.

Also Read: Shall We Learn Anything from the Suicide of Dr Payal Tadvi? – Article by Dr Amol Annadate

Beyond the caste / communal angle to this unfortunate incidence, some more serious issues should not be overshadowed.  Issues like stressful situations and work overload of resident doctors in the medical colleges, discrimination done at different levels due to various reasons, inter-personal relations among the doctors, poor management of human resource and the workplace in medical colleges are some important things that should not be overlooked in this case. Considering communal angle to Payal’s suicide it must be a precipitating factor in all this stress that made her feel alienated and compelled her to commit suicide. The whole system is equally a failure resulting in a feeling of helplessness and alienation among residents like Payal. Every doctor has his own tale of such instances of his postgraduate medical education. Each one of us has faced mental and physical stress leading to burnout during our residency years. Every year, at least two residents end up with tuberculosis in BMC hospitals. Sion hospital orthopaedic department has a record of at least one resident discontinuing the PG education, as they are not able to sustain the work pressure. MARD strikes are often knee jerk reactions to such stressors. A department in a medical college is a flood of many negative emotions like fear, hate, resentment, rivalries, leg pulling etc. Although the truthful motive of us doctors is to give the best possible service to our patients, this takes a toll on our psyche. Casteist slurs or torture of juniors by seniors ultimately create a lot of stress. This makes even a kind and compassionate person bitter towards his/her subordinates and at some point of time an innocent soul like Payal gives up exposing the ugly face of the situation comes in the society. We must never forget that medical education is not just to make intelligent doctors with a long line of degrees but we are supposed to produce compassionate, empathetic and kind humane doctors. We should also aim to produce doctors who will not just effectively cure an illness but, will also offer ethical leadership to the society as sensitive human beings. The medical education department needs to revamp the system for better management of medical colleges and human resources. Medical education also needs to teach students about better interpersonal relations and empathy. A better understanding of each other as doctors is the first step towards successful personal and professional life.

The medical field is facing a major ethical crisis today. The issue of reservation in higher medical education, cutthroat competition, work pressure in medical colleges has added fuel to the fire. An unfortunate incidence like Dr Payal Tadvi Case of suicide further increases the unrest. This is not just an internal blow to the entire medical community but also poses a challenge to the public image of the medical community. All these issues must be handled with the utmost care by the government, society and the medical community. A long term solution to such issues should be implemented than temporary solutions. Looking at the plight of health in our state, an emotionally stable doctor is need of the hour. This is not a time to portray anyone as a villain but to sit back and introspect about each and every element in society.

You can also read Marathi translation of this article on Dr Payal Tadvi Case was published in Lokmat Mumbai Main Edition on 30 May 2019.

डॉ. पायल तडवी आत्महत्येच्या निमित्ताने…

Amol Annadate Articles

नायर रुग्णालयात वरिष्ठांच्या त्रासाला कंटाळून डॉ. पायल तडवी या निवासी डॉक्टरने आत्महत्या केल्याने मोठे वैचारिक वादळ आले आहे. ही आत्महत्या रॅगिंगमुळे झाल्याचे प्राथमिक अहवालात समोर आले आहे. यात पायलला जातीवाचक मानसिक त्रासाला सामोरे जावे लागले का , यावर अजून चौकशी सुरु आहे. सगळ्या शक्यता गृहीत धरल्या तरी ही घटना केवळ वैद्यकीय क्षेत्रालाच नव्हे तर समाजातील बौद्धिक धुरिणांना आत्मचिंतन करायला लावणारी आहे.

डॉ. पायल तडवी
डॉ. पायल तडवी साठीचा जनआक्रोश

जर डॉ. पायल तडवी च्या मृत्यूत जातीचा संदर्भ असेल तर या गोष्टीचा निषेध करावा तितका कमीच आहे. पण त्याच वेळी दोषींवर कायदेशीर कारवाई सुरु असताना आपण सगळ्यांनी याची चर्चा बौद्धिक वर्णभेद भडकणार नाही अशा दृष्टीने व ‘डोळ्यासाठी डोळाच’ अशा प्रकारे दोन वर्ग एकमेकांसमोर उभे टाकणार नाहीत याची काळजी घेणे ही गरजेचे आहे. त्यातच पदव्युत्तर शिक्षणामध्ये आरक्षणाचा मुद्दा सध्या तापत असताना गेली काही महिने वैद्यकीय क्षेत्रात प्रथमच जातीच्या मुद्द्या वरून उभी फुट पडलेली दिसून आली. वैद्यकीय क्षेत्रा सारख्या थेट जगण्या मरण्याशी संबंधित क्षेत्रात अशा प्रकरे बौद्धिक वर्णभेद भडकणे हे समाजाच्या दृष्टीने अत्यंत घातक व अराजकाला आमंत्रण देणारी गोष्ट आहे. पदव्युत्तर शिक्षण प्रवेशात आयत्या वेळी होणारे बदल, खुल्या वर्गासाठी राहिलेल्या एक दोनच जागा, आरक्षित वर्गाचा आपल्या हक्का साठी लढा यातून कधी नव्हे ते समाज माध्यमांवर वैद्यकीय क्षेत्रात दोन वर्ग एकमेकांना भिडताना दिसत होते. आरक्षण हवे नको हा वादाचा मुद्दा बाजूला ठेवला तरी आपल्या हक्कांसाठी सनदशीर मार्गाने लढा देत , आपल्या क्षेत्रात व एकूणच समाजात सहिष्णुता टिकून राहावी यासाठी प्रत्येकाने आपला विवेक जागा ठेवायला हवा. त्यातच पायल तडवी सारख्या तरूण डॉक्टरचा जीव जातो तेव्हा आपण सगळे एकाच वैद्यक मातेची मुले आहोत व जात, धर्मा पलीकडे डॉक्टर आहोत व रुग्ण आपला पहिला धर्म आहे हे विसरता कामा नये. तसेच कुठला ही बदल आणताना तो अचानक आणला तर समाज कशा प्रकारे ढवळून निघतो व त्यातून असा बौद्धिक वर्णभेद भडकू शकतो हा धडा ही शासनाने यातून घ्यायला हवा.

Amol Annadate Aticles
डॉ. अमोल अन्नदातेंचे वैद्यकीय क्षेत्रावरील इतर लिखाण वाचण्यासाठी क्लीक करा.

या पलीकडे जाऊन या घटने मध्ये वैद्यकीय क्षेत्रात अत्यंत मानसिक व शारीरिक तणावाचा पदव्युत्तर शिक्षणाचा काळ, कमी निवासी डॉक्टरांची संख्या, वैद्यकीय महाविद्यालयातील कामाचा ताण, अनेक पातळ्यांवर, अनेक कारणांनी होत असलेले भेदभाव, डॉक्टरांचे आपापसातील संबंध हे सगळे कांगोरे ही तपासून त्यावर उपाय योजना करणे गरजेचे आहे. डॉ. पायल तडवीच्या आत्महत्येत जाती चा संदर्भ तिच्या नैराश्यात भर घालणारा सगळ्यात मोठा घटक असला तरी तिच्यावरील ताण ही नाकारला जाऊ शकत नाही. तसेच काहीही कारण असले तरी सोबत काम करणार्या कनिष्ठ , वरिष्ठांमध्ये तिला निराधारपणाच्या तीव्र भावनाने पछाडले हा सगळ्या कारणां पलीकडे आपला दोष आहे व व्यवस्थेचेही मोठे अपयश आहे. पदव्युत्तर शिक्षण घेत असताना आम्हा प्रत्येकाने तीव्र मानसिक , शारीरिक ताणाचा सामना केल्याची प्रत्येक डॉक्टरची कहाणी आहे. दर वर्षी केईम, सायन, नायर येथील तीन – चार निवासी डॉक्टरांना टी.बी चा संसर्ग होतोच. सायन अर्थोपेडीक विभागात दर वर्षी एखादा तरी निवासी डॉक्टर ताणा पायी पदव्युत्तर शिक्षणच सोडून जातो. मार्डच्या संपातून हा संघर्ष अधून मधून तात्पुरता उफाळून येत असतो. प्रत्येक विभागात राग, द्वेष, मत्सर, सिनियर – ज्युनिअर संघर्ष, भीती अशा नकारात्मक भावनांचा पूर वाहात असतो. यात रुग्णांना चांगली सेवा मिळावी ही भावना असली तरी त्यातून कामाचे व्यवस्थापन व काम करणाऱ्या डॉक्टरांची मानसिकता बिघडत जाते. जातीवाचक शेरे म्हणा, किव्हा कनिष्ठांना अमानुष त्रास म्हणा हे सगळे या ताणातून आलेल्या विकृत मानसिकतेतून जन्म घेते व पायल सारख्या निरागस डॉक्टरच्या अत्म्हत्यातून कधीतरी समाजा पुढे येते. वैद्यकीय शिक्षणातून आपल्याला फक्त भल्या मोठ्या डिग्रीची रांग नवा मागे असलेले हुशार डॉक्टरच नव्हे तर चांगला संवेदनशील माणूस व समाजाला दिशा देऊ शकणारे विवेकी बौद्धिक नेतृत्व ही तयार करायचे आहे हे वूसरून कसे चालेल. यासाठी वैद्यकीय शिक्षण विभागाला वैद्यकीय महाविद्यालयांच्या कामाच्या तासांचे , मनुष्यबळाचे योग्य व्यवस्थापन ही करावे लागणार आहे. तसेच काही ही झाले तरी समोर आलेल्या आपल्या कनिष्ठ – वरिष्ठ, जात – धर्म हे भेदभाव सोडून आपल्या सहकारी डॉक्टरशी प्रेमाने व सह –वेदनेची ( एमपथी ) भावना ठेवून वागण्याचे धडे गिरवावे लागणार आहेत. आपल्या सहकार्यासाठी माणुसकीची भावना हीच रूग्णा साठी प्रेमाची आणी पुढे आपल्या व्यक्तिगत, व्यवसायिक यशाची पहिली पायरी आहे.

आज वैद्यकीय क्षेत्र मोठ्या नैतिक पेचातून जाते आहे. त्यातच पदव्युत्तर वैद्यकीय क्षेत्राचा आरक्षण लढा, तीव्र अतर्गत स्पर्धा, वैद्यकीय महाविद्यालयातील कामाचा ताण अशा अनेक कारणांनी आज सर्वसामान्य डॉक्टर अस्वस्थ आहे. अशा स्थितीत डॉ. पायल तडवी सारखी घटना या क्षेत्राला व पर्यायाने सर्वच बौद्धिक व्यवसायिक क्षेत्रांना मोठा हादरा देणारी ठरते. यामुळे वैद्यकीय क्षेत्रातील अंतर्गत अस्वस्थता वाढीला लागतेच नव्हे तर समाजाचा या क्षेत्रा विषयीचा दृष्टीकोन हि पणाला लागतो. या सर्व गोष्टींची वैद्यकीय क्षेत्राने व शासनानेही विचार पूर्वक हाताळणी करण्याचा हा क्षण आहे. तसेच या वर केवळ तात्पुरत्या मलम पट्ट्या नव्हे तर याच्या मुलभूत कारणांचे समाधान करणे गरजेचे आहे. राज्यातील आरोग्याची दयनीय स्थिती पाहता मानसिक दृष्ट्या सशक्त डॉक्टर तयार करण्याला प्राधान्य द्यावेच लागेल. पायल च्या आत्महत्येने प्रत्येक घटकाने यावर आत्मचिंतन करावे .

सदरील लेख ३० मे, २०१९ रोजी लोकमत च्या मुंबई आवृत्तीत प्रकाशित झाला आहे. लोकमत वृत्तपत्रात हा लेख वाचण्यासाठी क्लिक करा.

Amol Annadate

डॉ.अमोल अन्नदाते | www.amolannadate.com
reachme@amolannadate.com

Shall We Learn Anything from the Suicide of Dr Payal Tadvi?

Dr Payal Tadvi Suicide

Dr Payal Tadvi, a resident doctor from Topiwala National Medical College & Nair Hospital committed suicide as she could not take the pressure and mental torture from her seniors anymore. This cannot be termed as just ‘Ragging’. As ragging, as we all know is just a jovial gesture during the first three or four months of any college that culminates into friendship with seniors.

Dr Payal Tadvi

The suicide of Dr Payal Tadvi is definitely a result of something more than that. It’s needed that we all should ponder on this and peep into our hearts as to why a doctor should be a reason for such a sad end of another doctor. Although we doctors fall into the group of professional minorities, we are still one of the most intelligent classes of society. In spite of being aware of this fact, why does the vanity or self-regard of being a doctor, doesn’t unite us all? Just like in a case of Saas–Bahu enmity, although being a female they are the reason for each other’s distress, why on the same lines doctor – doctor enmity is many times seen ruining lives of doctors, Payal Tadvi being a representing example. Everyone in some or the other way experiences betrayal by fellow doctors or seniors like in case of Payal Tadvi. It may be professional rivalries leading to fake PCPNDT complaints against fellow beings or impediment by a government doctor or sadist attitudes of seniors, HODs during residency. This raises a million-dollar question in my mind, in spite of being in quite a prosperous profession, although not much respected these days, why do we behave this way with our fellow doctors? Why do we turn so bitter when it comes to our own medical community? In our professional arena, we all know very well that everyone will get his/her share. Still many times it is seen that we leave no stone unturned to expose other’s mistakes or get professional mileage out of it. Even when we have to face a government official who is a doctor, he will never go an extra mile for a doctor and it never reminds him that we are children of same mother Medicine. Gone are those days when treating a doctor free was a principle religiously followed by the medical field. Of course, charging anyone is a very personal and professional matter. Nevertheless, we have also miserably failed to build a positive united fraternity like IAS, IPS, IITians have done over the years. ‘Lobby’ is a cruel word for this symbiosis based on professional self-regard. It’s not just about covering up for each other but it’s about professional and personal osmosis for the betterment of each of us. It’s my observation that an IAS will always respect the request of another IAS when it comes to anyone’s administrative work. Manohar Parrikar regularly visited IIT campuses and reassured young IITians that they can anytime knock his door for any help. Even in an institute like Harvard, the alumni network is a way ahead and Harvardians help each other at many levels. Even in politics, opposition party leaders are always helped by ruling ones to get homes in Delhi as Member of Parliaments. If we deeply analyse the case of death of Payal Tadvi, we will get answers to the marginalisation of doctors and the medical community in the society.

Topiwala Natioal Medical College

Read more Articles of Dr. Amol Annadate

It’s not about being portraying ‘Holier than thou’ image. But why do we forget that being placed by destiny in the medical field, we are dealing with life and death? To be chosen as the most adorable children of God, we carry great responsibility on our shoulders. He has chosen us for a work directly connected with him. Isn’t being good first to our professional fellows and then to others is the first step to our professional and personal success? All this philosophy aside, isn’t a compassionate attitude towards our fellow doctors is an essential tool for our emotional and physical well-being? We are, what we are today because of our teachers in medical school. I have seen this world standing on the shoulders of my seniors, teachers and doctor friends. We have to give back to our medical community by being human to other doctors. Every doctor should shed at least one drop of tear for Dr Payal Tadvi whom we lost at the hands of other doctors. We should give a message to our future generations that, the medical field is one where every fellow doctor is treated with respect and compassion. Or else Payal Tadvi’s soul will never forgive us.