Supreme Court Issues Notice to Centre, NMC on Plea against 'Inhumane' Duty Hours for Doctors

New Delhi: The Supreme Court bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh today, i.e., on 22.08.2025, issued notice to the Union Government and the National Medical Commission (NMC) on the plea filed by doctors' body challenging the 'inhuman' working hours of resident doctors.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that 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, has 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.

Commenting on the issue of duty hours for resident doctors, the President of UDF, Dr. Lakshya Mittal, said, "Resident doctors are routinely made to work between 70-100 hours weekly without adequate rest, leading to chronic stress, physical exhaustion, and deteriorating mental health. This not only endangers the doctors but also compromises patient safety."

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.

The counsel for the petitioner, advocates Mr. Satyam Singh and Ms. Neema, have requested the Court to issue directions to all government and private medical institutes to implement the 1992 directive on duty hours, direct concerned authorities to prepare and enforce duty rosters that respect human psychological and physical limitations, and establish enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance with regulations.

"This is not merely about labor rights but about the fundamental right to life with dignity guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution," said Advocate Satyam Singh.

The PIL comes in the wake of the Supreme Court's own observations in the RG Kar Medical College case last year, where the court termed resident doctors' working conditions as "inhuman." The matter is expected to be listed for hearing in the coming weeks.

UDF has approached the Supreme Court amid the ongoing discussions between the Central Government and the stakeholders on this issue. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that after around 33 years of introducing the Central Residency Scheme, 1992, the Central Government, for the first time, arranged a review meeting to introduce modifications to the already existing scheme.