Harassment, Academic Pressure, and the Hidden Mental Health Crisis in Pakistan’s Medical Colleges
By Mohammad Ehsan Leghari
In the quiet corridors of Pakistan’s professional colleges, an invisible storm is gathering force, one that is steadily claiming the lives of some of the country’s brightest young minds. The recent suicide of Fahmida Leghari, a third-year topper at Muhammad Medical College in Mirpurkhas, Sindh, has sent shockwaves across the nation. According to emerging media reports, she had been subjected to sustained harassment, including alleged misconduct and psychological torment. It is further alleged that a fake social media account was created to malign her reputation. Her family later revealed that she had confided fragments of her suffering to her sister, yet was unable to fully articulate the depth of her distress.
While some social media narratives have suggested that similar incidents may have occurred previously at the same institution, there is currently no publicly verified data confirming a pattern specific to the college. However, this absence of reliable and transparent information itself reflects a deeper institutional weakness, where critical incidents are often underreported, inadequately investigated, or quietly buried.
This tragedy is not an isolated occurrence. Over the past decade, cases reported at institutions such as Chandka Medical College in Larkana; including the widely reported case of Nimrita Kumari, have triggered protests, public scrutiny, and enduring questions about accountability within medical education institutions. These cases collectively point toward a deeper, systemic crisis.
At its core, this crisis reflects the dangerous convergence of unchecked harassment, extreme academic pressure, and a profound neglect of the psychological realities shaping student lives. Anxiety, depression, panic disorders, and emotional exhaustion are no longer peripheral concerns; they are becoming defining features of the student experience. Yet, they remain largely invisible within institutional structures.
Empirical evidence underscores the gravity of the situation. A landmark study found that approximately 35.6 percent of medical students in Pakistan reported experiencing suicidal ideation within a single year (Osama et al., 2014). Other studies suggest that between one-third to over half of medical students experience symptoms of depression and anxiety; rates significantly higher than those observed in the general population. Research also highlights the widespread prevalence of bullying and harassment within medical colleges, with a substantial proportion of students reporting exposure to such behaviors, which are strongly associated with psychological distress (Ahmer et al., 2008).
However, to fully understand the depth of this crisis, one must examine the gendered realities, particularly in Sindh. Evidence from national surveys such as the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS 2017–18) reveals that a significant proportion of women in Pakistan have experienced physical or emotional violence in their lifetime. Studies by Aurat Foundation and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan consistently highlight patterns of harassment, coercion, and social control that disproportionately affect women, particularly in conservative and semi-urban settings.
Within such a socio-cultural environment, female medical students do not operate in isolation from society; they carry its pressures into already demanding academic spaces. Harassment is not limited to campuses; it extends into reputational threats, digital abuse, and character assassination. The fear of social stigma, victim-blaming, and family dishonor often silences victims. In such conditions, even highly resilient and high-performing students can find themselves trapped in cycles of isolation and psychological distress.
It is therefore not merely an academic crisis; it is a reflection of a broader societal environment that, for many women, has become increasingly restrictive, unsafe, and emotionally exhausting. When institutional pressure intersects with societal control, the result can be devastating.
Understanding this crisis requires unpacking its structural roots. First, the architecture of medical education in Pakistan is inherently high-pressure. It revolves around rigid, high-stakes examinations, frequent assessments, strict attendance requirements, and an intensely competitive environment. In such a system, even minor academic setbacks can be perceived as catastrophic failures. Families, having invested significant financial and emotional resources, often place immense expectations on students, further intensifying this pressure. Research consistently demonstrates a strong association between academic stress and suicidal ideation among medical students.
Second, harassment operates at multiple levels within these institutions. Ragging by seniors often involves humiliation and coercion, while peer-level bullying reinforces exclusion. More concerning is the abuse of authority within teacher-student relationships. Power imbalances can enable behaviors such as public shaming, unfair grading, and, in some cases, exploitation. For many students, particularly females, this leads to chronic anxiety, loss of confidence, and trauma-related responses.
Third, the psychological dimensions of education remain critically neglected. Institutional cultures tend to be hierarchical and authoritarian, with limited emphasis on mentorship or emotional intelligence. Faculty are rarely trained to recognize distress. Mental health stigma discourages help-seeking, while counseling services are either absent or ineffective. External pressures, including economic uncertainty and limited career opportunities, further deepen student vulnerability.
Finally, institutional and regulatory gaps continue to perpetuate this crisis. Although the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) has issued guidelines emphasizing student counseling and support, implementation remains weak. Anti-harassment laws exist but are often undermined by fear of retaliation and institutional protectionism. Critically, the absence of reliable national data on student suicides obscures the scale of the problem.
The consequences of this systemic failure are profound. Families are left devastated, peers carry long-term psychological scars, and Pakistan loses talented individuals in a sector already facing shortages. More dangerously, such an environment discourages future generations, especially women, from entering professional education.
Addressing this crisis requires urgent and structural reform. Institutions must establish robust mental health systems, enforce zero-tolerance harassment policies, and create safe reporting mechanisms. Academic culture must shift from fear-driven performance to supportive learning. Educators must be trained in empathy, ethics, and gender sensitivity.
At the policy level, regulatory bodies must ensure enforcement, not just guidelines. National campaigns are needed to destigmatize mental health, and suicide prevention must become part of education policy. Legal protections must be strengthened and implemented effectively.
Families and society must also evolve. There must be a shift from pressure and control toward understanding and support, especially for young women navigating both societal expectations and professional challenges.
Ultimately, the loss of Fahmida Leghari; and similar tragedies, forces us to confront a painful truth: we are not just failing our students; we are failing our daughters.
This is not merely an educational issue. It is a societal crisis, one that reflects how environments, both institutional and social, can become so suffocating that even the most brilliant minds see no way forward.
With empathy, accountability, and evidence-based reform, Pakistan’s medical colleges can still become spaces that nurture resilience rather than destroy it. But the time to act is now.
Before another life is lost.
References
Osama, M., Islam, M.Y., Hussain, S.A., et al. (2014) Suicidal ideation among medical students of Pakistan: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 159, pp. 94–98.
Ahmer, S., et al. (2008) Bullying of medical students in Pakistan: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey. PLoS ONE.
National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) and ICF (2019) Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18. Islamabad.
Aurat Foundation (various reports) Violence against women in Pakistan.
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (various annual reports) State of Human Rights in Pakistan.
Imran, N. et al. (2023) Pattern of adolescent suicides in Pakistan.
Coentre, R. and Góis, C. (2018) Suicidal ideation in medical students: Recent insights.
Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) (2024) Guidelines for Undergraduate Medical Education.
Various media reports (2026) on student suicides in Sindh, including Muhammad Medical College and Chandka Medical College.
Read: When water runs out, women suffer more
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Mohammad Ehsan Leghari is a water expert, former Member (Sindh), Indus River System Authority (IRSA), and former Managing Director,
