MGM Indore Obgyn dept faces PMO, NHRC complaint over alleged toxic work culture, duty hour violations
Indore: Alleging violations of duty-hour regulations and a toxic work culture at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of MGM Indore, a complaint has been filed before the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Medical College, Indore, recently implemented the 1992 Residency Scheme under which resident doctors will now work no more than 12 hours per day and 48 hours per week. This was expected to bring relief to the resident doctors, who are often left exhausted, one step away from burnout due to rigorous duty hours assigned to them during their residency.
In compliance with the scheme, the college administration had directed faculty members to prepare the duty rosters for resident doctors, ensuring weekly offs as per the rules.
Dean Dr Arvind Ghanghoria also directed that the actual working hours of all residents be recorded to ensure clear compliance with the rules in every department.
Despite this, it has been alleged that the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at the medical college is not complying with such directions. Allegedly, the Junior Residents enrolled at this department are being made to work for 16-17 hours daily, without any weekly offs. Further, it has been alleged that even though the department is preparing duty rosters assigning 12 hours of duty to the resident doctors, in reality they have to work for longer hours.
The issue has been highlighted by an RTI activist, Rishabh Jaiswal, whose fiancée is working as a junior resident at the department. Mr. Jaiswal has already complained in this regard to the Prime Minister's Office and also highlighted the matter before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Complaint to PMO:
Filing a complaint regarding the issue before the PMO, he pointed to the violation of NMC guidelines and 1992 Residency Scheme at MGM Medical College Indore, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He also attached the duty roster along with the complaint, adding that the "actual ground-level working hours are very different from the roster shown officially."
"Continuous prolonged duties are still being forced without proper weekly offs causing severe sleep deprivation physical exhaustion and mental stress. Instead of taking corrective action after the complaint the HOD and Dean have only manipulated arrangements to hide the real situation. Resident doctors are also being forced to perform staff work clerk work and nursing related work in addition to excessive clinical duties. Due to this toxic workload proper academic teaching and training are not happening even during the entire year which is against the purpose of postgraduate medical education," his complaint to the PMO mentioned. However, he did not reveal the names of the affected resident doctors and family members, fearing harassment or retaliation and mental pressure by departmental authorities and seniors.
"The mental condition of the affected resident doctor has become extremely serious because of continuous excessive duties lack of sleep and hostile working conditions. Mental health has deteriorated badly and suicidal thoughts and hopelessness are developing due to relentless pressure," the complaint added, demanding an immediate confidential inquiry and strict action to ensure compliance with NMC guidelines safe humane duty hours, proper academic training, and protection from retaliation. Immediate confidential inquiry and strict action are urgently requested to ensure compliance with NMC guidelines, safe, humane duty hours, proper academic training, and protection from retaliation.
Response from NMC PG Board:
In response, the complainant was informed by NMC PG Board that medical education is different from other education system, where human life is central and training is required on live human beings.
"It requires continuous monitoring of patients to know and learn about progress of disease and changes in treatment approach, based on time to time changes in health condition of patients. Thus, round the clock involvement in patient care is required to train a doctor as a Specialist within limited time period of training considering the vastness of subjects. So in the interest of medical student and medical profession, it is required to train a young doctor to make him/her competent to take care of health of the society Almost all the medical professionals agree on this view, who have passed through such rigorous training themselves and most do not regret In fact it is usually Joy of Learning. However, some students are physically, developmentally and emotionally weak and find difficulty with such training requirements. Hence, some take up such issues from time to time," the response mentioned.
Further, NMC added that the PG Board has made PGMER 2023 regulations and the institutes that violate these regulations face punishment from NMC. "If student complains, NMC issues show cause notice to erring institute. We have asked institutes to provide working hours, time schedule etc. Usually things settle after first notice from NMC. Students need not worry that because of complaint, he/she will be harassed. This law is to protect physically or emotionally weaker students particularly when there is unreasonably toxic environment," it added.
Complaint to NHRC:
Now, the matter has been taken up with the NHRC. Writing to the Commission, the complainant referred to the response received from NMC, adding that it acknowledges that regulations are meant to protect students from "unreasonably toxic environments." This, the complainant highlighted, is an admission by higher authorities that toxic environments and extreme working conditions exist in postgraduate medical training.
"However, instead of taking strict corrective action regarding continuous thirty-six hour duties, denial of proper weekly offs, severe sleep deprivation, and unsafe working conditions, the response attempts to justify and normalize them in the name of medical training," the complaint to NHRC on 08.05.2026 mentioned.
Alleging that the ground-level reality of the resident doctors at MGM Indore is different from what is being claimed by the college authorities, the complaint further added, "The actual ground-level reality in the department is entirely different from the official records being shown. HODs and institutional authorities prepare official duty rosters on paper to appear compliant, while in reality resident doctors are continuously being made to work prolonged continuous thirty-six-hour duties without proper weekly offs. There is a serious mismatch between official rosters and actual working conditions being imposed on residents. In addition, the academic purpose of postgraduate medical training is being severely compromised. Instead of proper academic teaching and specialist training, resident doctors are largely being forced into excessive paperwork, clerical work, staff duties, file preparation, sample collection, patient shifting, nursing-related tasks, and administrative burden. Genuine academic learning and structured teaching are suffering badly under this exploitative system."
"Residents are continuously forced to work under extreme physical and mental exhaustion while also performing clerical, staff, and nursing-related duties in addition to clinical responsibilities. The reality on ground level is that many junior residents are mentally disturbed, emotionally exhausted, and under constant pressure due to prolonged continuous duties without proper rest or weekly offs. Such exploitative working conditions are creating severe burnout, anxiety, depression, and psychological trauma among resident doctors. Fatigued doctors are also a direct risk to patient safety and quality healthcare delivery. Across the country, several junior doctors and resident doctors have already died by suicide after prolonged mental harassment, toxic work environments, overwork, humiliation, and unbearable duty pressure. In many cases, institutional authorities, HODs, Deans, and even regulatory systems attempt to suppress or dilute the seriousness of these issues instead of ensuring accountability and systemic reform," it further mentioned.
The complainant, Mr. Jaiswal, urged NHRC to intervene and order an independent physical audit/inquiry into actual duty hours, continuous duties, weekly offs, and working conditions of resident doctors. Further he urged the Commission to verify actual ground-level working hours instead of relying solely on official roster records. He also requested for inestigation into mental harassment, toxic departmental environments, manipulation of duty rosters, and nonacademic workload imposed on residents, review of the academic environment and loss of genuine postgraduate teaching due to excessive non-academic work, protection of complainants and resident doctors from retaliation or victimization by institutional authorities, and recommendations for humane working conditions and strict enforcement of safeguards for resident doctors across medical institutions.
He has also filed a first appeal before the PMO, highlighting that the actual ground-level situation remains unchanged despite official replies and paper compliance. However, a response in this regard is still awaited.
"People like us choose the Government Medical Colleges because we can afford it. However, such toxic work culture is pushing the students towards mental breakdown and burnout. Even if someone wants to leave the course, they have to pay Rs 30 lakh as bond penalty. Amid this, intervention from the authorities is really necessary. I have highlighted the matter before the PMO and NHRC and waiting for a positive response," Mr. Jaiswal told Medical Dialogues.
