[PR] Statement of President MSA Pakistan on ongoing wave of suicides among medical students across the country.

As the President of the Medical Students’ Association of Pakistan, I am deeply traumatized and heartbroken by the ongoing wave of suicides among medical students across the country. This is not a series of isolated incidents; it reflects a systemic failure that urgently demands acknowledgment and reform.

Over the years, through direct engagement with students nationwide, several critical and recurring factors have emerged as potential contributors to this crisis:

1. Inconsistent academic policies and abrupt changes without adequate transition or consultation
2. An examination system driven solely by a numbers-based race rather than holistic learning
3. Emotional dissociation of faculty and institutions from students, with disproportionate focus on fee collection and rigid regulations
4. Harsh, intimidating, and at times humiliating behavior of academic staff toward students
5. Severe financial constraints faced by students and their families
6. Poorly structured, marks-oriented assessment systems coupled with life-altering academic decisions
7. Absence of co-curricular and recreational activities, along with lack of proper funding and supervision for student engagement
8. Excessive academic burden without regard for mental well-being
9. Insufficient vacations and recovery periods

In light of this alarming reality, I call upon academic leadership across Pakistan — Vice Chancellors, Deans, Rectors, Principals, and Heads of Departments of medical colleges and universities — to formally recognize student bodies as key stakeholders.

Students’ concerns must be taken seriously and meaningfully incorporated into academic and administrative decision-making. It is imperative to move beyond token consultations and toward genuine collaboration.

Medical institutions must ensure the development of campuses that are mentally, physically, and emotionally safe, where students are supported, heard, and treated with dignity. The lives of our future doctors cannot be the cost of an inhumane system.

This is not merely an appeal — it is a moral and institutional responsibility.

Muhammad Kumail Danial
President
president@msapakistan.org
Medical Students’ Association of Pakistan