MAMC Doctors Decry Meal Payment Tradition for Seniors, Post Goes Viral

New Delhi: A doctor, in a post on a popular social media platform, has raised serious concerns about alleged ragging and harassment against first-year postgraduate students in the orthopaedics department at Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC). The post claims that seniors are forcing juniors to pay for their meals and punishing them by making them do humiliating pose like the rooster pose.

The college administration in 2023 asked departments to look into complaints of residents being forced to pay for meals in the name of “tradition.” However, despite the notice, the situation has not improved and the harassment continues till today, says the doctor.

Sharing the claims in a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the doctor alleged that the PG residents are being forced by seniors to pay for meals of senior residents and interns while their monthly expense is claimed to be around Rs 20,000 per resident.

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The post further stated that junior residents are not allowed to sit during duty hours, as seniors believe sitting may reduce work speed. Due to this, some residents have reportedly developed backache and knee pain within a short period of joining.

According to the post, junior doctors are punished in front of patients and nursing staff for making any mistakes. The punishments allegedly include slapping, verbal abuse, and forcing them into rooster pose. He also claimed that if there is any delay in sending samples for investigations, residents are made to pay for private tests.

"Whenever they make a mistake, they are punished in front of patients and nursing staff. Punishment includes slapping, rooster pose, abusing. If a sample for investigation somehow gets late, they force residents to pay the bill for private investigations," said the doctor.

The doctor further alleged that such practices have been continuing for years, with others justifying them as part of a "tradition."

"I can understand the long duty hours but how can someone justify this toxicity,if someone asks them they say "The same thing happened to us, so we will do the same to you". Someone please stop this,I don't want to lose my friend," the doctor said in the post.

In this regard, the college administration in December 2023 issued a circular which mentioned, "It has been reported that some residents are being compelled by their seniors to pay for their snacks/meals in the name of ‘tradition’ in MAMC. You are requested to enquire regarding any such practice in your respective departments and if found any, take appropriate steps accordingly. Please also send a report in this regard to the Office of the undersigned within 02 days of issuance of this Circular."

In response, the doctor said, "It is happening from years, in 2023 college administration issued an notice but nothing has changed."

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