ISLAMABAD: Doctors and physicians in Pakistan are dying at a younger age due to lifestyle related diseases, extreme burnout and, in some cases, suicide, as they neglect their own health while caring for others, senior cardiologists and mental health experts warned on Thursday. Speakers shared data showing that nearly six out of ten physicians experience significant burnout, while suicide rates among doctors are almost double those of the general population. Despite this, only about one third ever seek professional help. The warning came at Life in a Metro, a nationwide academic forum organised under Mediverse, an initiative of Hudson Pharma, where specialists described doctors as the most neglected patients in the healthcare system. Delivering the keynote address, Dr M Rehan Omer Siddiqi, an interventional cardiologist and internal medicine specialist, said physician burnout had quietly reached crisis levels in Pakistan. DNA
\nDrawing on international and regional evidence, he noted that long working hours, chronic sleep deprivation, poor diet, physical inactivity and constant psychological pressure were pushing doctors towards early heart disease, diabetes, depression and substance misuse.\u201cWe talk endlessly about \u2018do no harm\u2019, yet many doctors are quietly harming themselves,\u201d he said, adding that self diagnosis, self prescribing and delaying proper medical care were common among physicians.
\nDr Siddiqi said a deeply embedded culture of endurance and guilt prevents doctors from prioritising their own wellbeing. Many believe that taking time off is a sign of weakness or a betrayal of patients and colleagues. Using the airline oxygen mask analogy, he stressed that doctors must secure their own health before they can care effectively for others. \u201cA healthy doctor delivers safer and better care. Staying healthy is not a luxury. It is a professional responsibility,\u201d he said, urging institutions to promote teamwork, delegation and realistic workloads.
\nHe warned that prolonged stress is not just an emotional issue but a direct cardiac risk. Data shared during the session linked chronic stress and burnout with hypertension, metabolic disorders and a higher risk of sudden cardiac events among physicians, particularly those working in high pressure urban settings.
\nDr Kulsoom Haider, consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist, focused on the mind body connection and emotional resilience, explaining that depression and anxiety are among the most common mental health conditions globally and often present through physical symptoms when left unaddressed. \u201cThe body keeps the score,\u201d she said, noting that unprocessed emotions frequently manifest as fatigue, chest tightness, gastrointestinal problems and even stress induced cardiac injury, including conditions such as broken heart syndrome.
\nShe highlighted research showing that emotional responses occur thousands of times faster than logical reasoning, meaning prolonged fear, grief and stress can overwhelm the nervous system.
\nShe stressed the importance of emotional regulation through simple daily practices such as controlled breathing, mindfulness, gratitude and awareness of bodily sensations. These techniques, she said, help restore balance between the heart, brain and body and reduce the long term physiological toll of stress on doctors.
\nDuring the discussion, speakers noted that metropolitan life further intensifies physician stress due to traffic congestion, smog, heavy patient loads and seasonal depression, particularly during winter months. Several panellists observed that doctors often spend their most productive years caring for others while postponing their own lives, only to face isolation, illness or emotional exhaustion later.
\nIn his vote of thanks, Khawaja Ahaduddin, General Manager Marketing and Sales at Hudson Pharma, said healthcare professionals were more important than any product or brand. He said the company aimed to strengthen pharm physician relationships not for promotion alone but for the advancement of science, academics and patients\u2019 welfare, while also addressing the wellbeing of doctors themselves.
\n\u201cIf physicians continue to burn out and neglect their health, the entire healthcare system becomes unsustainable,\u201d he warned, adding that initiatives like Mediverse were meant to support continuous medical education alongside physical and emotional health.
\nExperts further cautioned that unless burnout, emotional exhaustion and self neglect among doctors are urgently addressed through institutional reforms, mental health support and cultural change, Pakistan risks losing its healers prematurely, with serious consequences for patient safety and the future of healthcare delivery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD: Doctors and physicians in Pakistan are dying at a younger age due to lifestyle related diseases, extreme burnout and, in some cases, suicide, as they neglect their own health while caring for others, senior cardiologists and mental health experts warned on Thursday. Speakers shared data showing that nearly six out of ten physicians experience […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-523295","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n