KOLKATA: When under stress, seek solace in spirituality. So believes Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital (CNMC). To start off, the 70-year old medical college will hold an interactive session on spirituality for its workforce on December 17. Lessons on meditation, along with spiritual talks on reducing stress, are expected to be imparted to doctors , nurses and medical students The move comes at a time when ransacking of hospitals and attack on doctors have become frequent. Sessions like this, a hospital official said, would not only work as a stress buster for its doctors and nurses but also enable them retain composure on the face of hostility.“The workload on doctors in government hospitals is huge, due to which some might lose patience while dealing with patients’ relatives. This is a major cause of conflict between doctors and patients. We believe mediation will help them tackle the hostile situation in a more composed way,” said Sandip Ghosh, medical superintendent and vice principal of CNMCH. To be organised jointly by the medical college and its Rogi Kalayan Samity (RKS), the session will see participation by representatives of Prajapita Brahma Kumari.“This is for the emotional and mental well-being of doctors, who work under tremendous pressure. Our main target is junior doctors, who are the backbone of the hospital. I hope this will help bridge the gap of mistrust between doctors and patients to certain extent,” said Santanu Sen, IMA national president and the RKS chairman at CNMCH.Sen said that similar sessions are being held in medical colleges across the country as part of IMA’s initiative. In the city, NRS Medical College and RG Kar Medical College will also get their dose of spirituality soon.“I had attended a meditation session organized by IMA last year. I feel mediation can help soothe the nerves while handling pressure,” said B B Saha of CNMCH.The initiative, however, has drawn criticism from organistations like All India Democratic Students’ Organisation and Service Doctor’s Forum, who called it unscientific. “Some people are mixing spiritualism with religion. This programme has got nothing to do with religion. Moreover, mediation has been proved to be good for the mind and the body,” added Sen.

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