The psychological violence is the main reason why doctors residents have given up specialty in Mexico, despite the fact that it is the goal of many of them since they were Medicine students and reaching that level was a challenge that involved years of study and dedication.
This is indicated by the first preliminary results of the poll “Legal framework on the rights of resident doctors in Mexico“, created by Marco Antonio Basurto, a law student at UNAM; and by Irvin Ordoneza general practitioner graduated from the Universidad Veracruzana.
They both met at university during an exchange and became friends; and before a wave of medical resident resignations during 2022, they decided to find out the causes of this phenomenon and made a poll that they shared in groups of social media.
“I am interested in knowing why students are not taking advantage of the law that protects their rights, why students are unaware of their rights and why nothing is done, if they have them”
“No more doctor resignations”
The poll will be open until June 15 and to date 100 doctors who have left the specialty have already responded.
“Among the reasons that motivate us to do this study it is so that there are no more resignations, there are no more people affected”, says Basurto.
The survey consists of 10 questions and is anonymous. To date, of the 100 physicians who have responded, 50 are men and 50 are women. In addition, the specialties with the most resignations are medicine of emergencies, medicine interna y General Surgery.
“From then on, the rest of the specialties are ordered, however, emergency medicine and internal medicine, due to the high academic requirementhave the highest number of incidences in resignations”, explains Basurto.
The main reason for resignation is violence, which was classified in five concepts: harassment, harassment, violence, punishments y sexual exploitation.
“The punishments also have to do with most of the residents, if a person did something wrong, something that does not seem to an assigned, sometimes justifiable, sometimes not, they are punished with so many hours of guardia and we have complaints up to 36 hours in the hospital without being able to rest.
“Perhaps resting for two hours, three hours, and without a decent place to do it, in addition to the fact that hospitals do not have infrastructurebecause the complaints we have in Mexico City say that the hospitals are very small, that they do not have places to restwhich are overcrowded in these places that they have to rest”, he explains.
The consequences of these types of violence for residents are often diverse and range from needing psychiatric help to more serious cases that are related to drug addiction.
Shocking result
For Irvin Ordoñez, who is preparing to take the ENARM this year, the desertion It is a serious problem that no one reports.
“No one talks regarding this, as if they go unnoticed, as an applicant for the next exam that is coming, I am very concerned,” he says.
Although the survey is anonymous, many left their contact details to be provided with more information on how they can protect their Rights.
