Doctors help people stay healthy and live long but, sadly, their own lifespan gets shortened because of their work. A survey by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has revealed that the longevity of Indian doctors on an average is around 58-59 years. This is almost 10 years less than the average lifespan of the general population.

The IMA's Pune chapter arrived at this conclusion after an analysis of the association's social security scheme (SSS) for 5,500 doctors from Maharashtra and over 11,000 across the country registered with it.

IMA Pune chapter's president, Dr Dilip Sarda, told DNA that their data of the last five years indicated that the average lifespan of a doctor pointed to an alarming trend.

"An average Indian lives up to around 70 years of age," he said. "But doctors on an average live only up to 55 to 59 years. It has also been noticed that most of the early deaths among doctors are sudden and caused by cardiac arrest."

Dr Sarda further said that, every year, 12 to 15 doctors in Maharashtra and around 30 doctors across the country died before they were 60. Stress, a sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise were the main causes of death in these cases, he said.
"They tend to become obese and are under great stress," he said. "Most of them are hypertensive and diabetic. These conditions reduce their chances of living longer."

Dr Sarda blamed doctors for their unhealthy lifestyle. Their sedentary and stress-ridden lifestyle took a heavy toll on their health and was mainly to blame for reduced life expectancy, he said.

The IMA, Pune chapter, has started a yearlong weekly Suryanamaskar session for doctors. It may sound strange to many but the IMA has also organised routine medical examination for medical practitioners.