The Indian Medical Association (IMA) will start counselling sessions for resident doctors under the initiative called Doctor for Doctors. The team of mental health experts of IMA will join up with the experts of the medical college and conduct counselling of residential doctors. As per the report, the session is expected to start from August at the BJ Medical College, Pune.

There is an urgent need to look into the issue of mental health of the resident doctors due to the long working hours, work load, harassment and attacks of doctors. Several young residents are having psychological morbidity- the condition of being diseased among the medical students eventually deteriorates their academic performance and also increases the risk of substance abuse. Even studies conducted have proved that the resident doctors are depressed, drink alcohol heavily, take stress relieving pills carelessly and also go through suicidal thoughts.

Dr Sanjay Patil, President, IMA, Pune, said that they have already conducted meeting with the officials of the BJ Medical College and it has been decided to start the programme from August of this year. The doctors from the BJ Medical College and mental health experts of IMA will conduct the counselling sessions at BJ Medical and the doctors will be counselled for the doctor-patient communication in the phase of crisis and emergency condition.

He further said that career guidance is also important and the young doctors will be guided about it. The main focus will be on the overall mental well-being of the young doctors. The doctors have to take care of themselves along with the curriculum and academic development.