MP delays district residency programme postings, resident doctors left in limbo

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The District Residency Programme is a mandatory rotational training requirement prescribed by the National Medical Commission (NMC), designed to give postgraduate medical students hands-on clinical and public health experience at district and sub-district hospitals across the state.

According to resident doctors, the delay comes amid ongoing revisions to the posting process. Previously, postings were finalised at the state level through a choice-filling system that allowed doctors to indicate preferences. This provision has now reportedly been removed following recent amendments to the rules.

Under the revised framework, deans and heads of departments (HoDs) are expected to assign postings within the same divisions where postgraduate medical students completed their studies. The change has triggered opposition from doctors’ associations, contributing to administrative uncertainty.

"It is the first time after implementation of DRP that posting of resident doctors has not been finalised in time. Usually it is finalised two-three days before ending of DRP three months period of the previous doctors' batch. But this time, the new batch was to join on July 1, and the list has not been released. In fact, the health department is now in a dilemma over previous and new rulings leading to delay," said Dr Akash Soni, national spokesman, Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), reports Free Press Journal.

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