A first-year postgraduate resident, Dr. Shivasharanappa Patil, at Mumbai’s BMC-run Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, also known as Sion Hospital, was found dead in his hostel accommodation's bathroom on Saturday around 7:30 pm.
The incident came to light when Dr. Patil couldn’t be contacted for several hours. His roommate was then asked to look for him. He rang Dr. Patil’s phone and heard it ringing inside the bathroom. He then alerted the senior authorities at the hospital.
The security guards broke the bathroom door and found Dr Patil unconscious inside with two vials containing propofol and fentanyl near the commode.
According to the police, the resident doctor, pursuing an MD in general surgery, had earlier complained to the hospital authorities regarding workload and fatigue.
Hospital authorities stated that while there had been complaints regarding workload in the general surgery department in previous months, none of the doctors had reached out to the hospital authority over the last couple of months, as the workload in the deceased doctor’s unit had decreased.
The hospital dean, Dr. Pramod Ingale, said that the student had been struggling to settle into the city and get accustomed to the postgraduate course. He clearly maintained that academic grades were not a source of pressure, as postgraduate students appear directly for their final examinations. He also pointed to the possibility of difficulty in getting accustomed to the postgraduate course. A transition from the theory-oriented MBBS course to hands-on clinical experience could be difficult for some students.
The hospital authorities assured that necessary steps had been taken to support the student and that counseling sessions were also accommodated for him. He was also granted leave in order to help him rejuvenate.
According to reports published on October 12, 2026, the hospital has initiated an internal inquiry into the incident. Police have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and are recording statements from the doctor's classmates and colleagues. The post-mortem report is awaited.
The National Medical Commission’s task force report on the mental health and well-being of medical students states that, 31.2 per cent of postgraduate residents had experienced suicidal ideation.
It also refers to a peer-reviewed study that identified 105 reported suicide deaths among resident doctors in India between 2010 and 2019.
National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines restrict resident doctors to a 48-hour workweek. It is a standard reinforced by regional directives and Supreme Court petitions. However, it has been observed at multiple occasions that this guideline is seldom enforced, especially in high-volume public facilities like Sion Hospital.
In response to the young resident’s death, the BMC wing of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) expressed grief and called for urgent steps to address the mental health and well-being of resident doctors, citing prolonged duty hours, excessive workloads and inadequate staffing.
MARD highlighted this incident as the second reported suicide involving a resident doctor at a Mumbai civic hospital in recent months. Earlier this year, a doctor from JJ Hospital died by suicide on May 12.
Dr. Rutuja Raut, president of the BMC MARD, said that, “Public hospitals have become so overwhelmed of late with huge patient loads, resulting in heavy workloads on resident doctors. There have been instances of doctors working for 36 hours at a stretch, which is inhuman. The National Medical Commission should look into this and regularise working hours of resident doctors.”
According to reports published on October 12, MARD representatives met the hospital dean, the head of the General Surgery department, the doctor's friends and faculty members to discuss the circumstances surrounding the death. Dr. Raut also said that the association was collecting data on resident-doctor suicides linked to work pressure and intended to submit it to the NMC.
Sion Hospital admits more than 650 fresh medical students every year. It currently has over 2,000 students, including 660 medical postgraduate students, 1,000 undergraduate students, around 300 nursing students and about 100 super-speciality students, the dean cited.
The hospital management has decided to review its administrative and management procedures to identify gaps in the system. They have decided to work on the identified gaps to ensure better student support and prevent similar incidents.
Dr Ingale has informed that the medical college conducts induction and sensitisation sessions regularly. Some non-governmental organisations also organise sessions for students at the facility. However, integrating large numbers of students into campus life remains a challenge.
The police have sent the victim’s body for a postmortem. No suicide note has been found, according to the authorities, leaving the exact circumstances and possible triggers unclear. The police are awaiting the post-mortem report to establish the cause of death.
(Rh/MF/MSM)