A Watford businessman says his cardiologist brother who killed himself was one of hundreds of doctors “struggling to cope”.

Amandip Sidhu’s “calm” and “dependable” brother Jagdip unexpectedly committed suicide aged 48 in November 2018.

As a result, Amandip set up Doctors in Distress to campaign for greater awareness of the pressures facing doctors and to encourage more compassionate and supportive workplaces.

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Mr Sidhu said: “Jagdip outwardly had everything one would aspire to but was slowly crushed by the demands of the workplace.

“He didn’t tell anyone because he was afraid of letting his patients and colleagues down. The system he worked so hard and cared for didn’t look after him.

“You would think health professionals would be less vulnerable because of their training but they are among the worst affected professions by suicide.”

Watford Observer: Dr Jagdip Sidhu, a leading consultant at Darent Valley Hospital until he took his own life.Dr Jagdip Sidhu, a leading consultant at Darent Valley Hospital until he took his own life. (Image: Newshopper/NHS)

Jagdip Sidhu was signed off work with stress, which his brother believes he misinterpreted as a punishment.

The charity says there needs to be a change in attitude for medical professionals to feel they can talk openly about issues like burnout and mental health.

Its founder added: “I went to see him that weekend and he was a different person from the calm dependable brother I knew.

“His hands were shaking, he was close to tears and looked completely drained. It never crossed my mind that he would do anything to harm himself.

Watford Observer: Jennifer Hawkins, Amandip Sidhu. Picture: London North West University HealthcareJennifer Hawkins, Amandip Sidhu. Picture: London North West University Healthcare (Image: NHS)

“I couldn’t believe it. I went home on autopilot and woke crying in the middle of the night.”

In 2019, Mr Sidhu set up Doctors in Distress with doctors’ health advocate Dame Clare Gerada, who became chair of the trustees’ board, to ensure no one else would be put in a similar position.

“I had to break the news to my mum the next day which was the hardest thing to do.

"One thing we agreed on was to be open about what happened. It can happen to anyone, and we wanted to ensure others learnt from this and prevent future tragedies.

“There is still a lot of stigma around suicide when what we need is to talk about it more.”

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