Doctors' duty hours: Supreme Court to hear Uniform residency scheme plea on July 31
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has listed the plea seeking implementation of the Uniform Residency Scheme, 1992, for resident doctors for a hearing next week, on July 31, 2026.
The plea was listed for oral mentioning before the Apex Court today. Now, the top court bench is likely to hear the matter next week, the Chairperson and National President of the United Doctors Front (UDF), Dr Lakshya Mittal, told Medical Dialogues.
Last year, UDF had filed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the 'inhuman' working hours of resident doctors and seeking the implementation of the residency scheme.
Sharing the development of the court proceedings, the Chairperson and National President of the UDF, Dr. Lakshya Mittal, wrote today on X, "Today, our PIL filed by United Doctors Front (UDF) seeking implementation of the Residency Scheme, 1992 is listed for oral mentioning before the Hon’ble Supreme Court via AOR Dr Charu Mathur."
"We seek strict implementation & accountability for humane working conditions for resident doctors: maximum 48 hours/week, 8 hours/day, mandatory weekly off, adequate rest & safe duty hours. This is about both doctor welfare and patient safety," the plea further added.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that last year, the doctors under the United Doctors' Front (UDF) had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court against the "inhumane working hours of resident doctors". The association has challenged the "exploitative and unconstitutional working conditions imposed on resident doctors across the country".
The plea, filed through Advocates Mr. Satyam Singh, and Ms. Neema AOR, sought urgent intervention from the Apex Court to enforce compliance with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's 1992 directives notification, which mandates that resident doctors should not work more than 12 hours per day and 48 hours per week.
The PIL highlighted that despite clear directives from the Supreme Court over three decades ago, medical institutions continue to violate prescribed standards with impunity. The petition cites the National Task Force report on Mental Health and Well-being of Medical Students, which documented over 150 suicides of medical students within five years, primarily due to work-related stress and sleep deprivation.
Meanwhile, a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, headed by MP Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav, in its 172nd report, submitted on 18.03.2026, also addressed the issue of duty hours of resident doctors.
Expressing concern about the excessive workload of doctors, the panel highlighted the possibility of clinical errors and burnout resulting in compromised patient safety and recommended formulating and strictly enforcing a "Clinical Duty Hours Regulation" policy with mandatory rest periods and monitored rosters.
"The Committee is concerned about excessive continuous duty hours for Junior and Senior Residents and the risk of clinical errors and burnout, thereby compromising patient safety. The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Department formulate and strictly enforce a 'Clinical Duty Hours Regulation' policy with mandatory rest periods, and monitored rosters, drawing a direct analogy from other safety-critical professions like civil aviation to prevent fatigue-induced accidents," the Committee mentioned in its report.
