Lok Sabha Question No. 4979 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-31
Subject: Suicidal Cases of Medical Students
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Sougata Ray

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 4979 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31 ST MARCH, 2023

## SUICIDAL CASES OF MEDICAL STUDENTS

## 4979.  PROF. SOUGATA RAY:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of medical students and medical professionals committed suicide during the last three years and the current year in the country, State-wise details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has ascertained the reasons of occurring of such cases;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d)  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  prevent  such  incidents  and  make  the medical profession more attractive?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a) to (d): As informed by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), a total of 35,950 students (including medical students) committed suicide in the country during 2019-2021.

As per  information  received  from  the  National  Medical  Commission, 68 cases  of  suicide  by medical students have been reported from 531 medical colleges in the country during last three years due to family stress, financial situation and working environment. The details of medical students committed suicide during last three years, State/ UT-wise has been placed at AnnexureI.

The Under Graduate Medical Education Board has implemented new competency based medical education  for  MBBS  students  wherein  Yoga  course  has  been  introduced  during  foundation course to alleviate  the  stress  and  depression  of  MBBS  students. Further,  to  address  the  issue, National  Medical  Commission  (Prevention  &  Prohibition  of  Ragging  in  Medical  Colleges  & Institutes) Regulations, 2021 provides for setting up of Mentoring Committee of Monitoring Cell under  which  mentor  interacts  with  the  students  on  regular  basis.  Further,  the  NMC  issued  an advisory regarding the concern of mental health and well-being of medical students.

Government of  India  is  implementing  the  National  Mental  Health  Programme  (NMHP)  since 1982. The Government is supporting implementation of the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) under NMHP across districts in the country with the objectives to:

(i)  Provide  suicide  prevention  services,  work  place  stress  management,  life  skills  training  and counselling in schools and colleges.

(ii)  Provide  mental  health  services  including  prevention,  promotion  and  long-term  continuing care at different levels of district healthcare delivery system.

(iii) Augment institutional capacity in terms of infrastructure, equipment and human resource for mental healthcare.

(iv)  Promote  community  awareness  and  participation  in  the  delivery  of  mental  healthcare services.

Further, the Government has set up a 24/7 helpline to provide psychosocial support, by mental health  professionals,  to  the  entire  affected  population,  divided  into  different  target  groups  viz children,  students,  adult,  elderly,  women  and  healthcare  workers.  In  addition,  guidelines/ advisories on management of mental health issues, catering to different segments of the society have  also  been  issued  by  the  Government.  The  Government  has  announced  a  'National  Tele Mental Health Programme' to further improve access to quality mental health counselling and care services in the country.

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## State/UT-wise details of  medical students committed suicide during last three years

|   S. No. | Name of the State/UT     |   2020 |   2021 |   2022 |
|----------|--------------------------|--------|--------|--------|
|        1 | Andaman &Nicobar Islands |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        2 | Andhra Pradesh           |      2 |      0 |      1 |
|        3 | Arunachal Pradesh        |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        4 | Assam                    |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        5 | Bihar                    |      1 |      0 |      0 |
|        6 | Chandigarh               |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        7 | Chhattisgarh             |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        8 | Dadra &Nagar Haveli      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|        9 | Delhi                    |      1 |      0 |      0 |
|       10 | Goa                      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|       11 | Gujarat                  |      4 |      4 |      2 |
|       12 | Haryana                  |      2 |      0 |      0 |
|       13 | Himachal Pradesh         |      0 |      0 |      1 |
|       14 | Jammu &Kashmir           |      0 |      0 |      1 |
|       15 | Jharkhand                |      0 |      1 |      0 |
|       16 | Karnataka                |      4 |      1 |      1 |
|       17 | Kerala                   |      2 |      2 |      1 |
|       18 | Madhya Pradesh           |      1 |      0 |      0 |
|       19 | Maharashtra              |      3 |      3 |      5 |
|       20 | Manipur                  |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|       21 | Meghalaya                |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|       22 | Mizoram                  |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|       23 | Orissa                   |      0 |      1 |      2 |
|       24 | Puducherry               |      1 |      0 |      0 |
|       25 | Punjab                   |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|       26 | Rajasthan                |      3 |      1 |      3 |
|       27 | Sikkim                   |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|       28 | Tamil Nadu               |      0 |      2 |      2 |
|       29 | Telangana                |      0 |      1 |      0 |
|       30 | Tripura                  |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|       31 | Uttar Pradesh            |      2 |      1 |      2 |
|       32 | Uttarakhand              |      1 |      0 |      0 |
|       33 | West Bengal              |      2 |      0 |      1 |

Source:- National Medical Commission.

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