Doctor Vaishnavi Kumar committed suicide in 2013 after working at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. According to her father, she ingested the fatal dose because she felt “degraded and demeaned” by others.
The father of a junior doctor who committed suicide believes the hospital where she worked must alter its “toxic environment.”
Dr. Ravi Kumar, who also works for the NHS, spoke before the release of a report on abuse allegations at the University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Trust, which is one of the largest hospital trusts in England.
The report also examined allegations that whistleblowers were threatened with disciplinary action.
Dr. Vaishnavi Kumar committed suicide in June 2017. The 35-year-old had been employed at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth (QE) Hospital.
Her parents claim that she left a note before ingesting a fatal dose of medication.
“She penned a letter,” her father revealed. And she made it abundantly clear that her motivation was the QE hospital.
She waited three hours after taking the overdose before calling an ambulance. According to her father, when paramedics arrived, she refused to go to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Dr. Kumar describes his daughter as “bright, fun-loving, and compassionate” before her employment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
“As she encountered this toxic environment, she became a bit more anxious and tearful, and on occasion, upon her return from work, she would say that people were denigrating and degrading her.
“As a result of the way some consultants treated her during the transition, laughing at her for treatments and other such things, she used to experience a great deal of stress when working with them during the handover.
“This was taking its toll on her, as she was a very senior registrar who was also quite experienced and well-liked by all the others.”
Every day is a battle
Dr. Kumar expresses his optimism that the Trust will act upon the report’s findings.
“The first step is to recognize and accept that this has occurred, followed by determining why it has occurred and taking action,” he said.
“This makes me angry and concerned for the junior physicians who will follow in her footsteps”.
Our existence ended on June 22, and it is very difficult. Every day is a battle.
“My primary concern now is to prevent it from happening to others, which is why I’m bringing this to light so people are aware of the toxic atmosphere.”
Professor Mike Bewick, a former deputy medical director at NHS England and current independent consultant, presided over the UHB review.
According to a 2021 CQC rating, trust “needs improvement.”
The Trust employs over 20,000 individuals. It also operates the Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, the Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield, and the Solihull Hospital.
The Care Quality Commission assessed the Trust as “requires improvement” in 2021 and highlighted patient safety concerns.
A spokesperson for University Hospitals Birmingham stated, “Dr. Vaishnavi Kumar was a beloved and respected physician who was well-liked by colleagues and patients alike. Her untimely passing was a tragedy, and we extend our deepest condolences to her family.”
“We have reflected on our response to Vaishnavi’s demise, drawing lessons from it, and are currently putting them into practice.
We are pleased that Dr. Kumar has consented to work with the Trust to improve the support offered to all doctors in training and to change the culture of the Trust in response to the death of his daughter.
