Maharashtra caps resident doctors' duty hours at 48 per week, enforces 1992 residency scheme

Mumbai: After it recently came to light that around 300 resident doctors leave their postgraduate seats in Maharashtra's government medical colleges every year, and at least 25 deaths by suicide have been reported in recent years, allegedly due to 26-36 long duty hours, the state government has directed all medical colleges to follow the Centre's 1992 Residency Scheme.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare implemented the Residency Scheme on June 5, 1992, following directions from the Supreme Court, which clearly limits resident doctors’ duty hours to a maximum of 12 hours per day and 48 hours per week.

With the state government's move, Maharashtra has become the first state to implement the decades-old directive, bringing relief to postgraduate resident doctors.

Junior and senior residents are often made to work continuous 24 to 36-hour shifts with minimal breaks, leading to severe physical and mental stress. Despite existing norms, these rules were reportedly not being followed in several government hospitals.

The issue was spotlighted after a report by Dainik Bhaskar pointed out that around 300 resident doctors leave their postgraduate seats in government medical colleges in Maharashtra every year and 25 deaths from suicide have also been reported in the past years, allegedly linked to this pressure.

Expressing concern, United Doctors Front (UDF) termed the practice as "exploitation" of doctors and questioned when they would be allowed to work under normal duty hours with proper rest and mental well-being and when the death of those who save our lives has become normal.

Taking note of the concerns, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, has directed all medical colleges to limit duty hours to a maximum of 48 hours per week and not more than 12 hours at a stretch, in line with the Residency Scheme introduced by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 1992.

The United Doctors Front (UDF), which had highlighted the issue on social media and has been demanding the implementation of the scheme for a long time has recently informed that Fadnavis issued the order. 

In compliance with the state government's order, Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur, directed all Heads of Clinical Departments to strictly regulate duty hours of resident doctors.

As per the notice, issued under directives from the Hon’ble Secretary, resident doctors’ duty hours must not exceed 12 hours per day and 48 hours per week under any circumstances. It further stated that Junior Resident-1 doctors should not be assigned emergency duties during the first six months of their tenure.

Additionally, all Heads of Clinical Departments have been asked to prepare and submit their departmental Junior Residents’ duty rosters/modules by April 2, 2026, for review and approval in line with these guidelines.

The notice also directed strict compliance with the instructions with immediate effect, warning that any deviation would be viewed seriously.

Welcoming the move of the government, UDF said in a post on X, "Last year, following our request, the Union Health Ministry convened a high-level meeting in Delhi on April 22, where UDF was also given an opportunity to present its views. Despite this, no concrete steps were taken by the central government. However, the Maharashtra government has now implemented it, bringing hope to PG students."

UDF believes that inhumane duty shifts of 36 hours at a stretch endanger not only PG students but also patients’ lives. Prolonged and illegal duty hours often push PG students toward mental depression, dropping out, and even suicide.

The association requested the Maharashtra government to declare non-compliance with this order as a criminal offence and take action against the concerned Heads of Departments under Section 146 of the BNS. Additionally, strict action for fraud should be taken under Sections 337, 340, and 344 of the BNS against those department heads who fail to maintain accurate records of PG students’ working hours.

"UDF hopes that other states will follow Maharashtra’s example and immediately implement these norms to make medical education more humane and of higher quality," read the social media post.

Commenting on this, FAIMA Chief Patron Dr Rohan Krishnan told Medical Dialogues, "Resident doctors across India have been facing many problems, and there should be at least one uniform policy for them nationwide. While states have their own role in managing healthcare facilities, it is important to ensure that doctors get a comfortable and supportive working environment. This is a very good initiative and is truly worthwhile."

Also read- 300 medicos leave PG seats in Maha, 25 suicides reported- Doctors flag 24-36 hour duties as systemic failure