Helpline set up to help doctors cope with burnout

DOCTORS ON COVID DUTY CAN ACCESS THE HELPLINE FROM 3PM TO 7PM DAILY

FARIDKOT: As challenges around the pandemic increase, doctors on Covid-19 duty are under severe pressure. In the first wave, they were overworked, but now they have to deal with saving lives as the health infrastructure is crumbling.

Doctors, including senior residents with just a few years of experience, have to make tough decisions under extreme situations. Death of patients, delay in treatment due to non-availability of ventilator beds and a shortage of medicines, are leaving doctors stressed, and mentally vulnerable.

Thus, to ensure their psychological well-being, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) here has started a burnout helpline to address mental health issues.

Dr Rajvir Kaur, a junior resident of anaesthesia department, who is working in Covid ward, said, “We have been on regular Covid duty without quarantine for over a year now. PPE kits have become a uniform for us as we are working 12-hour shifts on most days. By the end of the day, the PPES leave us drenched in sweat and dehydrated. Work has been quite stressful.”

“Seeing people die despite every effort to save their lives is affecting our mental health. Many of us have not gone home, as there’s a chance that we may spread it to family members,” said Dr Diksha, also working in the Covid ward.

The helpline will be accessible from 3pm to 7pm daily and doctors can seek help on 9567768078 (Monday-friday) and 88614-31673 (Saturday-sunday).

BFUHS registrar Dr Ruhee Dugg said that there is no data available regarding mental health issues, but doctors are mentally exhausted because of the workload and tough decision making. “The helpline is aimed at addressing these doctors’ mental health concerns,” she added.

“The counselling will be provided free of cost by Dr Ashwani, founder of Mukta Foundation, Bangalore, and fellow psychologists, who would conduct on-call counselling sessions. The helpline would be initially available from 3pm to 7pm daily, and the same would be extended further if demand increases. Any doctor across the state dealing with stress can take these sessions,” she added.

A psychiatrist said that there is too much exhaustion and fatigue among doctors while nobody has a clear idea about when the pandemic would come to an end.