Mumbai: The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) has reintroduced its Mental Health Helpline for senior doctors and resident doctors, this time with a significant expansion—a dedicated De-addiction Support Program.
Earlier, the FAIMA helpline focused exclusively on mental health concerns and successfully supported over 300 doctors from across India who sought help for stress, burnout, anxiety, and emotional distress. Building on that experience, FAIMA has now widened the scope of the initiative to address addiction-related challenges, an issue increasingly affecting medical professionals but often left unspoken.
The helpline remains 100 per cent free, confidential, and available 24×7, exclusively for medicos. To strengthen the initiative, around 50 doctors and psychiatrists from across the country have volunteered to provide counselling and professional guidance.
Speaking about the expanded initiative, Dr Sajal Bansal, Chief Coordinator of the FAIMA Mental Health Helpline, said, “In our earlier phase, we supported hundreds of doctors dealing with mental health challenges. However, we also recognised the silent struggle with addiction that many medicos face. By adding de-addiction support to the helpline, FAIMA is taking a more comprehensive approach towards doctor well-being. With more than 50 doctors available for counselling, our aim is to provide timely, confidential, and stigma-free support to every medico who needs it.”
Highlighting the gravity of the issue, a senior doctor from Mumbai and associated with FAIMA pointed out that over the last seven years, 13 medical students in Maharashtra alone have died by suicide, including five MBBS students and eight postgraduate students. While personal issues played a role in some cases, several students cited toxic hospital environments, harassment by senior staff, excessive workload, and ragging as contributing factors. Such pressures often push students to abandon their studies or, tragically, take their own lives.
Dr Bansal further noted that resident doctors are particularly vulnerable due to long working hours and inadequate institutional support, often leading to severe burnout. “We used to receive the maximum number of calls after the NEET PG examination and from residents struggling with prolonged duty hours,” he said, adding that many doctors also face significant challenges at the personal level and require timely counselling.
FAIMA expressed gratitude to its psychiatrist team and Mental Health Ambassadors, whose voluntary efforts are helping the helpline reach doctors across India. Dr Bansal informed that four senior doctors, known for raising important issues related to doctors and the general public, have joined as Mental Health Ambassadors. They include Dr Nachiket Bhatia, a social media influencer; Dr Sivaranjani Santosh, a renowned paediatrician known for her campaign against misleading “ORS” drinks; Dr Vishal Gabale, a medical content creator; and Dr Manjeet Dhiman, a content creator. All of them continue to work for the welfare of doctors and the public beyond their clinical roles.
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