Medical student’s repeated exam failures and mental pressure lead to suicide

PNN News Desk, Comilla

The suicide of a medical student has cast a shadow of grief over classmates and family in Comilla. The tragic incident occurred on Friday night (April 3) at Central Medical College in Comilla Sadar South Upazila.

The deceased student was Arpita Nowshin, enrolled in the 2021–22 academic year. Family sources stated that her native village is in Khulna Sadar, and she was the youngest among one brother and one sister.

Classmates claimed that she suffered a mental breakdown due to repeated failures in a particular subject. Although she passed other subjects in her first professional exams, she failed in Anatomy. Over the next three years, she attempted the subject four more times without success.

Friends reported that after the release of her latest results, she became even more frustrated. While other students in her batch advanced to higher years, Nowshin remained stuck in the first professional exams. This caused her extreme mental stress.

The family alleged that, in addition to academic pressure, the behavior of a specific teacher contributed to her deteriorating mental state. Her brother, Shahriar Arman, said, “My sister repeatedly told us she was being put in unnecessarily difficult situations. Nobody explained clearly what her problem was.”

They mentioned that she spoke to her brother even on the day of the incident and expressed the need for money to fill her exam forms.

Friends also revealed that due to extreme mental stress, she consumed a large quantity of sleeping pills. She was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared her dead.

Attempts to contact the college authorities for comment were unsuccessful.

OC Mohammad Sirajul Mostofa of Comilla Sadar South Police Station said that the police recovered the body and sent it to Comilla Medical College Hospital for autopsy. He added that the cause is under investigation.

This incident has raised concern and anger among students, who are calling for greater attention to the mental health of medical students.