ISLAMABAD: Health professionals on Thursday said that only 10 percent of doctors in Pakistan remain physically active, while the rest of them are facing a host of health issues due to lifestyle-related diseases and extreme burnout. Speaking at a seminar organized by Hudson Pharma, senior cardiologists and mental health experts further said that in some cases, health professionals even commit suicide, as they neglect their own health while caring for others. While sharing the data, they said that nearly six out of ten physicians experience significant burnout, while suicide rates among doctors are almost double those of the general population. Despite this, only about one-third ever seek professional help. Delivering the keynote address, Dr M Rehan Omer Siddiqi, an interventional cardiologist and internal medicine specialist, said physician burnout had quietly reached crisis levels in Pakistan. Drawing on international and regional evidence, he noted that long working hours, chronic sleep deprivation, poor diet, physical inactivity, and constant psychological pressure were pushing doctors towards early heart disease, diabetes, depression, and substance misuse. “We talk endlessly about ‘do no harm,’ yet many doctors are quietly harming themselves,” he said, adding that self-diagnosis, self-prescribing, and delaying proper medical care were common among physicians. Dr Siddiqi said a deeply embedded culture of endurance and guilt prevents doctors from prioritizing their own well-being. Many believe that taking time off is a sign of weakness or a betrayal of patients and colleagues. Using the airline oxygen mask analogy, he stressed that doctors must secure their own health before they can care effectively for others. “A healthy doctor delivers safer and better care. Staying healthy is not a luxury. It is a professional responsibility,” he said, urging institutions to promote teamwork, delegation, and realistic workloads. He warned that prolonged stress is not just an emotional issue but a direct cardiac risk. Data shared during the session linked chronic stress and burnout with hypertension, metabolic disorders, and a higher risk of sudden cardiac events among physicians, particularly those working in high-pressure urban settings. Dr Kulsoom Haider, consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist, focused on the mind-body connection and emotional resilience, explaining that depression and anxiety are among the most common mental health conditions globally and often present through physical symptoms when left unaddressed. “The body keeps the score,” she said, noting that unprocessed emotions frequently manifest as fatigue, chest tightness, gastrointestinal problems, and even stress-induced cardiac injury, including conditions such as broken heart syndrome. She highlighted research showing that emotional responses occur thousands of times faster than logical reasoning, meaning prolonged fear, grief, and stress can overwhelm the nervous system. She stressed the importance of emotional regulation through simple daily practices such as controlled breathing, mindfulness, gratitude, and awareness of bodily sensations. These techniques, she said, help restore balance between the heart, brain, and body and reduce the long-term physiological toll of stress on doctors. During the discussion, speakers noted that metropolitan life further intensifies physician stress due to traffic congestion, smog, heavy patient loads, and seasonal depression, particularly during winter months. Several panelists observed that doctors often spend their most productive years caring for others while postponing their own lives, only to face isolation, illness, or emotional exhaustion later. In his vote of thanks, Khawaja Ahaduddin, General Manager Marketing and Sales at Hudson Pharma, said healthcare professionals were more important than any product or brand. He said the company aimed to strengthen physician relationships not for promotion alone but for the advancement of science, academics, and patients’ welfare, while also addressing the well-being of doctors themselves. “If physicians continue to burn out and neglect their health, the entire healthcare system becomes unsustainable,” he warned, adding that initiatives like Mediverse were meant to support continuous medical education alongside physical and emotional health. Experts further cautioned that unless burnout, emotional exhaustion, and self-neglect among doctors are urgently addressed through institutional reforms, mental health support, and cultural change, Pakistan risks losing its healers prematurely, with serious consequences for patient safety and the future of healthcare delivery. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026