Doctors emerge as most neglected patients

KARACHI:

Pakistan's doctors are emerging as some of the country's most neglected patients, with alarming data revealing widespread burnout, physical exhaustion and rising suicide rates within the medical community.

Figures presented at a national academic forum showed that nearly 60% of doctors suffer from burnout, about 80% report chronic physical exhaustion, while suicide rates among physicians are almost double those of the general population.

Senior cardiologists and mental health experts warned that prolonged stress, excessive working hours, sedentary lifestyles and urban pressures are driving higher rates of heart disease, obesity, depression and anxiety among doctors, particularly in metropolitan centres such as Karachi.

Global health data shared at the forum highlighted that cardiovascular disease claims around 21 million lives annually worldwide, far exceeding deaths caused by Covid-19. The concerns were discussed at Mediverse: Life in a Metro, a nationwide scientific symposium organized by a Hudson Pharma under its academic initiative.