Islamabad: Doctors and physicians in Pakistan are increasingly dying at a younger age due to lifestyle related diseases, severe professional burnout and, in some cases, suicide, as they continue to prioritise patient care while neglecting their own physical and mental health, senior cardiologists and mental health experts warned on Thursday.
Experts shared data showing that nearly 60 percent of physicians suffer from significant burnout, while suicide rates among doctors are almost double those of the general population. Despite the scale of the problem, only about one third of doctors experiencing mental distress ever seek professional psychological support, speakers said.
Senior cardiologists also highlighted that fewer than 10 percent of doctors in Pakistan engage in regular physical activity, a pattern that significantly increases the risk of early heart disease, diabetes, depression and anxiety, particularly when combined with long working hours and chronic stress.
The warning was issued at Life in a Metro, a nationwide academic forum organised under Mediverse, an initiative of Hudson Pharma, where speakers described doctors as the most neglected patients in the healthcare system, despite being its backbone.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr M Rehan Omer Siddiqi said physician burnout in Pakistan had quietly reached crisis levels but continued to be treated as a personal weakness rather than a systemic failure. He said doctors routinely endure long working hours, chronic sleep deprivation, poor dietary habits and near total physical inactivity, while facing constant emotional pressure and fear of complaints or litigation.
“These factors are silently pushing doctors towards early heart disease, metabolic disorders, depression and even substance misuse,” he said, adding that self diagnosis and self medication were common practices among physicians, often resulting in delayed treatment and avoidable complications.
Dr Siddiqi said a deeply embedded culture of endurance discourages doctors from prioritising their own wellbeing. Many believe taking time off reflects weakness or a lack of commitment to patients and colleagues, a mindset he warned was costing lives.
Using the airline oxygen mask analogy, he stressed that doctors must first secure their own health before they can effectively care for others. “A healthy doctor delivers safer care. Looking after yourself is not a luxury. It is a professional responsibility,” he said, urging healthcare institutions to promote teamwork, delegation and more realistic workloads.
He also warned that prolonged stress is not merely an emotional issue but a direct cardiac risk. Data shared during the session linked chronic stress and burnout with hypertension, metabolic syndrome and a higher likelihood of sudden cardiac events, particularly among doctors working in high pressure urban environments.
Consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Kulsoom Haider focused on the close relationship between mental and physical health, explaining that depression and anxiety are among the most common mental health conditions globally and often manifest through physical symptoms when left untreated.
“The body keeps the score,” she said, noting that unresolved emotional stress frequently presents as persistent fatigue, chest tightness, gastrointestinal complaints and even stress related cardiac conditions such as broken heart syndrome.
She cited research showing that emotional responses occur far faster than rational thinking, meaning sustained fear, grief and stress can overwhelm the nervous system. Over time, she said, this imbalance damages both emotional resilience and physical health.
Dr Haider emphasised the importance of simple daily practices such as controlled breathing, mindfulness, gratitude and awareness of bodily sensations. These practices, she said, help restore balance between the heart, brain and body and reduce the long term physiological toll of stress on doctors.
Panelists also noted that life in large metropolitan centres further intensifies physician stress due to traffic congestion, air pollution, excessive patient loads and seasonal depression, particularly during winter. Several speakers observed that doctors often spend their most productive years caring for others, postponing their own lives, only to face illness, emotional exhaustion or isolation later.
In his concluding remarks, 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 merely for promotion but to advance science, academics and patient welfare, while also addressing the wellbeing of doctors themselves.
“If doctors continue to burn out and neglect their health, the entire healthcare system becomes unsustainable,” he warned, adding that platforms like Mediverse were designed to support continuous medical education alongside physical and emotional wellbeing.
Experts further warned that unless burnout, emotional exhaustion and self-neglect among doctors are urgently addressed through institutional reforms, accessible mental health support and a shift in professional culture, Pakistan risks losing its healers prematurely, with serious consequences for patient safety and the future of healthcare delivery.
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