When Dr Lydia Wahura Kanyoro got into her Mazda Verisa vehicle parked in the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) parking lot on Saturday, no one thought she was about to commit suicide.
This was the last time she was seen. At the back seat of her car, she injected two anaesthesia-inducing drugs into her system.
She was a post-graduate medical student at the University of Nairobi pursuing Paediatrics. Dr Kanyoro’s death was a result of depression, it has emerged.
According to People Daily, she left behind a suicide note and called close family members informing them of what she was about to do.
George Onyango, the head of security at the School of Medicine said he saw the body at the back set of the car at 1pm on Saturday.
He then informed police at Capitol Hill who visited the scene and found the 35-year-old doctor with a syringe on her left hand and a vial containing Ketamine and midazolam drugs which are anesthetics.
“She was lying in the back seat and had injected a syringe on her left arm. Also found inside the car were vials of Ketamine and midazolam drugs,” police said in a statement.
Her body was taken to Chiromo mortuary awaiting an autopsy while the drugs were taken to the Government Chemist for analysis.
Kilimani police boss Andrew Muturi declined to comment on the he contents of the suicide note but confirmed it was found beside the deceased.
Dr Kanyoro’s death now exposes the rising mental illness cases among doctors who are battling depression silently which is attributed to work stress and poor working conditions.
The situation is even tougher for doctors pursuing their Master’s. They have to work for long shifts and handle the stress of their studies which is equally demanding.
A colleague who has seen the trend blamed it on the medical teching model which cultivates for mental toughness and physical staimina.
This, the doctor said, has led to accumulation of high levels of stress among trainee doctors and it ends up in depression.
She argued that there are high expectations from doctors yet they work in poor conditions coupled with lack of support by the government.
