After 33 years, Centre to review Residency Scheme: Here Are The Key Details

New Delhi: After a long wait of 33 years, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has scheduled a high-level meeting to review and update the Central Residency Scheme, 1992.

The meeting will take place on April 22, 2025, at 2.30 pm in Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi. It will be chaired by Dr Sunita Sharma, the newly appointed Additional Director General of Health Services (DGHS).

The government has invited several key officers and medical professionals to participate in the discussions. Noted attendees include- Dr. Sunita Mondal, Addl. DGHS, Dr. RP Joshi, Addl. DGHS, Dr. Anil Gurtoo, Former Hod, Medicine, LHMC, and Senior Consultant, SRBIMS, Dr. Sarita Beri, Director, LHMC & associated hospitals, Dr. Ajay Shukla, MS, ABVIMS & RML, Dr. Sandeep Bansal, MS, VMMC & SJH.

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Dr. Geetika Khanna, Principal, VMMC & SJH, Dr. Arti Maria, Dean, ABVIMS & RML Hospital, Dr. Anju Seth, Principal, LHMC & associated hospitals, Dr. Bhavuk Garg, Associate Professor, Directorate General of Health Services. Presidents of Resident Doctors’ Associations (RDA) from LHMC, VMMC & SJH, ABVIMS & RML, Dr. Indra Shekhar Prasad, President, RDA-AIIMS Delhi, Dr Aviral Mathur, President, FORDA and Dr Lakshay Mittal, President, UDF.

Residency today feels less like a learning phase and more like a test of endurance. Long shifts, poor pay, lack of basic necessities and poor working conditions left the resident doctors exhausted both mentally and physically. Therefore, the medical community has been consistently calling for reforms in the implementation of the existing residency scheme.

Back in the 1990s, the Supreme Court bench took cognisance of the exploitation that occurs of young doctors in government institutions and directed the formation of a Uniform Central Residency Scheme that would set up a defining base for all functioning of resident doctors in the country. Taking note of the same, the government formed a scheme in the year 1992.

This scheme addressed several issues, including the number of duty hours done by a resident doctor, the issue of weekly off, accommodation of residents, leave travel concessions, etc.

Medical Dialogues in 2015 reported on the Central Residency Scheme. The scheme specifically provides the maximum number of duty hours done by a resident doctor. In particular, it says continuous active duty for resident doctors will not normally exceed 12 hours per day. Subject to the exigencies of work, the resident doctors will be allowed one weekly holiday by rotation. The scheme also says that resident doctors will be provided with free furnished accommodation, free electricity and water within reasonable limits as may be fixed by the government from time to time.

"The junior Residents should ordinarily work for 48 hours per week and not more than 12 hours at a stretch subject to the condition that the working hours will be flexible as may be decided by the Medical Superintendents concerned keeping in view the workload and availability of doctors for clinical work," mentioned the scheme.

Even though the scheme included these resident-friendly rules, they were never properly put into action, and young doctors are still found doing at least 70-80 hours of duty a week instead of 40 hours a week.

For 33 years, the provisions meant to help resident doctors were ignored. Now, with the government finally announcing a plan to discuss the issue, there is a new sense of hope among resident doctors who can finally see the light and witness their dream come into reality.

Sharing the information on social media, Dr Lakshya Mittal, National President of the United Doctors’ Front (UDF), expressed his support for the long-awaited reforms.

Taking the matter to 'X', he tweeted, “After 33 years, a big step forward! After long and continuous efforts, @MoHFW_INDIA & @DghsIndia have called a high-level meeting on the Residency Scheme 1992 on 22nd April. UDF National President @drlakshyamittal and other key stakeholders invited to discuss long-awaited reforms. Time to protect our resident doctors. Let’s make it happen!”

The United Doctors Front (UDF) has been at the forefront of the fight for its implementation, tirelessly pushing for reform through multiple channels. The organisation has submitted repeated representations to the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, highlighted the issue across mainstream and social media, and collaborated with Medical Dialogues on a study exposing the harsh realities of excessive working hours.

RTI applications were also filed with both central and state governments, including several AIIMS institutions. Additionally, a detailed article by Dr. Lakshya Mittal, published in Rashtriya Sahara, brought much-needed attention to the matter. A writ petition is currently in preparation for submission to the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.

Speaking to Medical Dialogues, Dr Mittal said, "For years, the core mandate of the 1992 Central Residency Scheme, including the critical directive of limiting working hours to 48 hours per week, was forgotten, leaving resident doctors overworked, undervalued, and vulnerable. We sincerely hope that the upcoming meeting, convened by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on 22nd April 2025, will take a decisive step toward the strict enforcement of the 1992 Residency Scheme. There must be clear accountability, and non-compliance should be treated as a punishable offence. The well-being of our resident doctors cannot be compromised any longer."

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