More than 1,500 Quebec doctors have signed a petition calling for a coroner’s inquest into the suicides of five doctors in five months. Dr. Jean-Paul Brutus is a plastic surgeon who has worked throughout the province’s health-care system for decades. He signed the petition and said Quebec is facing a public health crisis because of the poor mental health of its health-care workers. “My gut reaction is that I find that disgusting that the we’re having this conversation about one doctor killing himself or herself every month for five months in a row in Quebec,” said Brutus. “I mean, this is insanity to me. But, I am not surprised one bit.” The letter, addressed to chief coroner Reno Bernier, recalls the deaths of the five doctors since March and that they were general practitioners and specialists from various regions of Quebec. “Each one is, first and foremost, a human tragedy for the deceased, their loved ones, their colleagues, and their patients,” the letter reads. “We do not claim, based solely on these closely spaced events, to demonstrate a statistical increase in suicides among physicians or to establish a causal link between these deaths. The lack of public, centralized, and sufficiently detailed data from Quebec prevents us from adequately measuring the extent and evolution of this phenomenon. This uncertainty, however, should not lead to inaction.” Brutus said that doctors, in particular, are the types of people who are high achievers and who are trained to put others needs ahead of their own. “That’s the sad part,” he said. “Most doctors are not surprised.” The Canadian Medical Association’s National Physician Health Survey found that pressures from health-care bosses and the lack of resources can lead to chronic stress, and in some to cases burn out and even to suicide. The petition is calling for the coroner to look into how many doctors have taken their lives and the circumstances. The letter to the coroner suggests eight objectives: Some factors, Brutus said, are deeply rooted, and are in the nature of most doctors’ work habits and when they don’t know or cannot take a break. “When one doctor realizes that they’re not doing well and they need to take a step back, for example, reduce their hours or take some time off or whatever, they know that whatever they’re not doing, nobody’s doing,” Brutus explained. “It’s not like they can transfer their patients to somebody else because they’re all in survival mode.”Brutus says doctors often feel guilt about abandoning patients who need them and have no where else to go. “And your colleagues depend on you because they’re all holding this system together,” he said. Of Quebec’s around 25,000 physicians, it’s estimated that 10 per cent have reached out for help with their mental health, according to the program that helps doctors with their mental health (PAMQ). If you or someone you know is in crisis, here are some resources that are available.
