A much-loved and respected doctor took her own life after struggling to cope with work pressures and suffering a family death. Dr Vaishnavi Kumar, who worked at Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital, had felt 'belittled' at work and regularly returned home in tears, an inquest was told.
The 35-year-old junior doctor, known as Vaish, had told previously of how the Covid pandemic had "taken its toll". Tragically she took a cocktail of drugs then waited more than three hours before calling an ambulance.
Still conscious when the ambulance arrived, the doctor told the crew "under no circumstances" to take her to the QE Hospital. She was taken to City Hospital where she was already critically ill by the time she arrived.
The hearing was told how she must have known by the time she called the ambulance it would be too late to save her. And despite resuscitation attempts carried out over 90 minutes as medics fought to reverse the effects of the overdose, she died at just after 7am on June 22, reports Birmingham Live.
Her father Ravi Kumar, who is also a doctor, told Birmingham Coroner's Court on Monday Vaish felt the QE was a "hypercritical environment to work in." Giving evidence, he said: "She used to say it was a very hypercritical place. They used to pick up small little things. Belittle and be a bit condescending in the way they used to behave there.
"Most of the time she used to come back home and cry a little bit. There was one particular incident she was mentioning, one of the consultants scoffed at her doing the handover of an acute case... In full public view, she was laughed at. It was very insensitive and she was really very upset at that time."
He told the hearing his daughter had said she did not make any complaints about any colleague's behaviour and 'got on with her job'. The medic, who specialised in diabetes and endocrinology, hoped to finish her placement and accept a position at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.
But her father said when she knew she was not moving to a different hospital 'that is when she really started going down'. He said: "She was struggling to cope from December 2021 onwards. She would say 'I don't want to stay at the QE anymore. I'm looking forward to going to Stoke Hospital'."
The inquest was told that the doctor had voluntarily requested to stay at the QE, with her email request accepted and extended by the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust for a further six months. The hearing was also told she was grieving the loss of her grandfather, who died in March.
But her career was said to be flourishing. Despite a 40-day absence, the talented doctor had caught up with training, which included an e-portfolio, and assessments needed to complete her junior doctor qualification, the hearing was told.
Her training supervisor Dr John Ayuk, a QE consultant endocrinologist, told the hearing that she did not inform him of any work stresses which could have contributed to her suicidal state of mind, the hearing was told. He described his "shock and sadness" at her death.
The hearing was told that two West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedics were called to Dr Kumar's home in Edgbaston after 4am on June 22. She showed them what she had taken and said she had taken an overdose at 12.30am.
In a statement, medic Lindsey Strudwick, said: "She had not disclosed why she called an ambulance after she had taken the overdose, so it was unknown if she had any regret of taking the overdose and wanting ambulance assistance or whether she was expecting an ambulance to be dispatched and find her deceased."
The doctor, who suffered from a condition of low platelet level which causes increased bleeding, told paramedics she worked at the QE but said "under no circumstances would she liked to be conveyed there." The paramedic crew also found three typed documents which she had signed.
Birmingham and Solihull Assistant Coroner Ian Dreelan said that Dr Kumar had previously contacted a mental health service in 2019. She self-referred again more recently "citing work stress and a recent family bereavement as contributory factors."
Dr Kumar had undergone a telephone assessment on May 28, 2022, where her answers indicated she had "severe depression and moderately severe anxiety," Mr Dreelan said this led to a referral to a community mental health team but an appointment had not been arranged prior to her death. She was on a waiting list to be seen due to resource shortages and would get an appointment if there was a cancellation. But this information was not passed on to her, the hearing was told.
There was no previous history of suicide attempts or self-harm, the hearing was told. Mr Dreelan said: "The delay that she allowed before she telephoned for an ambulance was left to such an extent that she must have known that by the time she contacted emergency services she would be beyond saving." The medical cause of death was cardiac shock from a mixed overdose.
The coroner said there was a "combination of factors" which led her to wanting to take her own life. "There was an underlying medical condition, which was managed, but over a passage of time must have been a drain on her both psychologically and emotionally," he said.
"Also the family bereavement she had suffered and the work stress she had experienced and mentioned to a clinician when she sought help."
Dr Kumar - a chief registrar at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals Trust during the pandemic - was also described as a "perfectionist", which the coroner said can invite pressure onto individuals where "everything has to be perfect". He added: "When that isn't the case, the perception of pressure is greater than others in their own situation."
Giving his conclusion, Mr Dreelan said: "Vaish intended to take her own life and she intended to do so at the time she took it. I will find a conclusion of suicide in this case on the balance of probabilities and from the evidence I have heard."
After the case, a spokesperson for University Hospitals Birmingham told BirminghamLive: "Dr Vaishnavi Kumar was a much loved and respected doctor who was popular with colleagues and patients alike. Her unexpected death was a tragedy, and our heartfelt condolences remain with Vaishnavi’s family."
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