Young Kerala Surgeon dies by suicide, medical fraternity alleges 'social media lynching'

A 37-year-old doctor in Kollam, Kerala has allegedly died by suicide at his residential place. The death of the doctor is presently being investigated by the police. While the police have not yet confirmed the cause, the incident has followed allegations against the doctor regarding the death of a seven-year-old after a surgery conducted at his hospital.

The deceased, Dr Anoop Krishanan, was a young orthopaedic surgeon, and the owner of Anoop Ortho Care in Kollam. As per local news reports, the seven-year-old girl had died of a heart attack a few hours after undergoing a leg surgery. The child's parents had lodged a complaint of medical negligence against the hospital, and also held protests.

The medical fraternity has started to talk about the incident on social media, asking for compassion towards doctors, as doctors too, are humans. The tweets have also alleged that Dr Krishnan had to face social media lynching after the incident. 

Dr.Anoop Krishna, a young aspiring orthopaedic surgeon from Kollam has committed suicide today as he was lynched by the mob on social media, public & local TV.

RIP pic.twitter.com/tFP9X9m2fV

— Medical Avengers (@MedicalAvengers) October 2, 2020

Bioethic Global Health and Policy researcher Anant Bhan also shared on Twitter that it was "very distressing to see a young surgeon die by suicide. Because he was hounded by a lynch mob including a TRP hungry media. Hope all of us can learn to be compassionate. Even if you question or criticize, do not harass or vilify. The impact on individuals can be dire."

Expressing his concern over the incident, Dr Krishna Kadam, Senior Psychiatrist at Maharashtra Institute of. Mental Health and Sassoon General Hospital said that these days, doctors are already working under tremendous stress. “When such incidents occur, the news immediately spreads on social media, electronic media these days, and the doctors in question have to face a lot of criticism and trolling. This might hurt their self-esteem, as the doctors fear that the incident might ruin their careers, their lives. With increased attacks on doctors, they are also afraid if they or their families might be in danger. It’s difficult for some people to cope with all of this,” Kadam said.

While it is not possible for us to control what happens on social media, Kadam adds that it is necessary for the doctors to take care of their mental health, just as much as physical fitness. “Medico life these days is very complicated. They don’t even take a break from work once a week. It is very necessary to maintain a work-life balance, and spend time with family, friends. Doctors must also indulge in hobbies, meditation, exercising/Yoga to help cope with the stressful nature of their day-to-day work,” he said.