Doctors work for 30 hours at a stretch: Mard

The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (Mard) has filed a compliant to Maharashtra Human Rights Commission regarding resident doctors being made to work for more than 30 hours at a stretch.

According to Dr Sagar Mundada, president of MARD, resident doctors at medical colleges work for around 30 to 36 hours at a stretch.

“The Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) says that no doctor should work for 48 hours at a stretch. I implore them to come to any of the medical colleges and see how resident doctors are working for 30 to even 36 hours at a stretch,” he said.

In its reply to the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission, the DMER has however refuted all the allegations. The letter written by DMER stated, “If doctors are on call for 48 hours it does not mean that they are working at a stretch for all the hours. Their interpretation is wrong on the contrary doctors demand more hospital work in order to get clinical experience.”

In reply to this letter of DMER, Mard has informed the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission that there is a difference in the quality of work and more of just bulk work that results in little learning for the resident doctors.

It also stated that due to the long working hours, resident doctors are falling ill. “Long duty working hours, irregular sleep and poor food hygiene are making the doctors fall ill,” stated Mard.

In order to address the issue of long working hours, the DMER was supposed to submit a proposal for implementation of central residency scheme as per the Supreme Court’s guidelines by December 31, 2015 after including one Mard members in the committee. But so far, no such committee has been formed.

Also, the DMER has requested the commission to note that strikes called by Mard amount to violation of patients’ right by denying the treatment by their members.