A UK independent report has found over 20 doctors committed suicide between 2005 and 2013. All of them were under investigation for malpractice. Many of those who killed themselves were suffering from alcohol problems or depression.

The review was conducted by the General Medical Council (GMC), which investigated 114 deaths from practitioners, who were under investigation for their fitness to practice. 24 deaths were classified as suicide, while four were categorized as suspected suicide.

However, doctors have hit out at the pressure that the GMC is putting on doctors, with Clare Gerada, former chairwoman of the Royal College of General Practitioners saying, the watchdog is“traumatizing” doctors and may be undermining the safety of patients through its adversarial approach to doctors with health problems.”

RT