New Delhi: 

A survey conducted by the United Doctors Front (UDF) has accused the medical institutions of violating the Supreme Court directives of implementing the Central Residency Scheme, specifying fixed duty hours of resident doctors in medical colleges and institutions under the National Medical Commission (NMC).

"We strongly urge the government to implement the Central Residency Scheme 1992 without delay. It is imperative to standardise duty hours, ensure adequate rest, and establish grievance redressal mechanisms across all medical institutions. Without these changes, we risk continued exploitation of young doctors and irreversible damage to the healthcare ecosystem," Dr Lakshya Mittal, National President UDF told ETV Bharat on Tuesday.

States not following Centre's directives

According to the doctor’s association, despite clear directives from the Health Ministry, many colleges and institutions keep forcing resident doctors to work beyond human limits, leading to severe physical and mental concerns.

"These guidelines are totally ignored, putting the doctors and patients at risk," the UDF stated.

Central Residency Scheme

Following a directive of the Supreme Court, the Union Health Ministry in 1992 asked all States and Union Territories to implement a "Uniform Central Residency Scheme" in all medical colleges and institutions. One of the features of the Uniform Central Residency Scheme states that junior doctors should work 48-hours a week and not more than 12 hours at a stretch.

Task force on Mental Health and Well-being of Medical Students

Depression, suicides, seat leaving and serious mental health issues due to sleep deprivation and excessive workload has become a major challenge in the medical education sector in India. The NMC constituted a "National Task Force on Mental Health and Well-being of Medical Students".

The NTF was assigned to study on mental health & suicide of medical students, analyse factors contributing to these challenges, and propose evidence-based strategies for improving mental health & prevention of suicides. The NTF submitted its report in June 2024, which is very alarming.

"According to the NTF report, over 15 per cent of PG medical students are suffering from various mental health issues. The report has scary data of death by suicides, suicidal thoughts and attempted suicides. A big number of students assessed the future risk of suicidal behaviour," said Dr Mittal.

Structural nature of the issue

Doctors are breaking under the pressure of endless shifts, toxic work culture, and penalties up to Rs 50 lakh for leaving courses. This survey reflects voices from the ground — and those voices are demanding immediate reforms from the NMC and health institutions, said Dr Mittal.

"We are heading toward a silent epidemic of burnout and mental breakdowns among doctors in training. These findings are not just statistics—they are a wake-up call. If we don't act now to reduce duty hours and support mental health, the system risks losing its best minds to despair," said Dr Prem Aggarwal, senior cardiologist and Chairman, Medical Dialogues. The Medical Dialogues is also a partner in the survey.

The survey

The online survey was conducted via Google Forms and remained open from March 12 to 24, 2025, with participation from MBBS interns and PG medical students across all Indian states and union territories.

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