Centre agrees to 48-hour work week for resident doctors after first scheme review in 33 years
NEW DELHI: For the first time in 33 years, the Centre on Tuesday held a high-level meeting to review and update the Central Residency Scheme, 1992, and accepted the long-pending demand to fix the duty hours of resident doctors to 48 hours per week.
The meeting was chaired by Dr Sunita Sharma, the newly appointed Additional Director General of Health Services (DGHS), and attended by directors of all major Delhi-based government hospitals, members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), and representatives from leading resident doctors' associations including FAIMA, FORDA, UDF, and IMA-JDN.
'We held the first meeting today and discussed various issues. We will meet again,' Dr Atul Goel, Director General of Health Services, told this paper.
He added that no final decisions were made during the meeting and the ministry would take a final call on the recommendations.
However, several resident doctor associations claimed that their key demand, a fixed 48-hour work week for both junior and senior resident doctors, was accepted during the discussion.
Welcoming the move, Dr Rohan Krishnan, chief patron of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), said, 'One of the crucial issues was the long working hours of senior and junior resident doctors. We had proposed that it should not exceed 48 hours a week with at least one off every week on a rotation basis. The ministry accepted this.'
He added, 'The Central Residency Scheme has not been revised since 1992. We feel resident doctors will be more comfortable in a safe working environment, leading to better patient care. If the basic needs of resident doctors are met, then I think there would be better care for the patients.'
Dr Krishnan said FAIMA had raised the demand for a scheme review following the tragic incident at RG Kar Medical College, where a postgraduate doctor was brutally raped and murdered in a government hospital in Kolkata last year.
Dr Lakshya Mittal, National President of the United Doctors' Front (UDF), posted on X, calling the development a big win for resident doctors. 'After today's DGHS meeting, it is confirmed 48 hours/week fixed duty hours will replace the vague term 'reasonable',' he said, adding that allowance revisions were also approved.
Dr Dhruv Chauhan, National Spokesperson for the Indian Medical Association–Junior Doctors Network (IMA-JDN), said, 'It was a fruitful meeting, and they have taken note of all the concerns we raised, including ensuring 48 hours/week fixed duty hours for all resident doctors.'
'Allowances revision for doctors and fixed amounts for thesis and books were also approved in the meeting and taken further for implementation,' he told this paper.
In addition to duty hours, the meeting addressed a wide range of concerns including hostel facilities, thesis grants, assistant professor salaries, and health benefits for postgraduate and senior resident doctors.
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