IMA or the Indian Medical Association has sought setting up of medical Counselling Centres in Medical colleges across India. In addition to this, the IMA has also called for setting up of a 24 x 7 helpline at all medical colleges to assist medical aspirants to cope with the stress, anxiety and other issues that are prevalent on medical campus. The medical counselling and helpline are intended to address the rising cases of mental health issues among the medical students studying in Medical colleges across India.
The proposal to setup Medical Counselling Centres and starting a round-the-clock counselling helpline comes in the wake of suicide of 26 year old doctor Payal Tadvi, who committed suicide after facing harassment by her seniors at a state-run hospital in Mumbai. As of now, IMA has launched an initiative titled ‘Doctors 4 Doctors’ (D4D), which is aimed at helping doctors deal with their mental stress and anxiety and helping them prevent a burn-out.
Commenting upon the new initiative IMA National President Santanu Sen said “We will achieve this by creating awareness of the issue and using tools for emotional well-being. We will provide training for self-help and offer D-4-D Free Help Lines to those in need.” He further added that, IMA is an umbrella organization and the largest association of doctors in the country; IMA as an institution believes that doctors must care for doctors, especially in the wake of the global rise of depression and suicide among medical professionals.