Violation of labour rights! Doctors oppose parliamentary panel's recommendation for 24-hour OPD at AIIMS
New Delhi: Opposing the Parliamentary Committee's recommendations for 24-hour OPD services in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, the resident doctors at the institute have argued that round-the-clock OPDs are not only inhumane but also 'a blatant violation of basic labour rights.'
Referring to international labour standards and various judicial mandates prescribing a 48-hour work week, the AIIMS Resident Doctors Association (RDA) pointed out that resident doctors in India routinely work 80 to 100 hours a week.
Therefore, the RDA mentioned that the panel's suggestion for round-the-clock OPD ignored the fact that the doctors are human beings who require rest to function, ultimately pushing them towards burnout.
What did the Parliamentary Panel suggest?
The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare submitted its one hundred seventy-first report on "Working of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and Problems faced by Patients in Availing Healthcare and Treatment' before the Parliament on March 18, 2026.
In the report, the Committee referred to the proposal to explore the possibility of OPD at night to reduce the workload or overcrowding. The panel recommended in the report that the management could explore the possibility of conducting OPD round the clock to reduce overcrowding and enable patients to access healthcare without much hassle.
"The Committee came across a proposal from within for AIIMS, New Delhi management for exploring the possibility of opening OPD in the night in order to reduce the workload or overcrowding. An arrangement may be made for rotation of duties for deploying of doctors and allied practitioners on each day and night and the rest period for them be arranged on Monday if their turns comes on Sunday and the vice-versa. A plea has been taken into consideration that if aeroplane can fly day and night and train can run each day and night, there is no reason that OPD cannot be conducted likewise. The Committee, therefore, recommends D/o Health and Family Welfare and the AIIMS, New Delhi management to explore the possibility of conducting OPD round the clock for reducing overcrowding and enabling the patient to access healthcare without much hassles," the panel suggested.
Reactions from Medical Fraternity:
In response to this proposal, AIIMS RDA stated, "The medical fraternity of India expresses its profound dissent and categorical rejection of the recent resolution proposing the implementation of 24-hour Outpatient Department (OPD) services across government hospitals. While the objective of increasing healthcare accessibility for the public is superficially commendable, the proposal is fundamentally detached from the operational realities of the Indian healthcare system. It fails to address the chronic infrastructure deficits and the severe human resource crisis that currently leaves our public hospitals on the brink of collapse."
"At the core of our opposition is the staggering reality of the existing medical workload. While international labour standards and various judicial mandates prescribe a 48-hour work week, resident doctors in India are already routinely subjected to grueling shifts that frequently exceed 80 to 100 hours. Forcing a workforce that is already stretched beyond its biological and psychological limits to man round-the-clock OPDs is not only inhumane but a blatant violation of basic labour rights. This resolution ignores the fact that doctors are human beings who require rest to function; pushing them further will only accelerate the alarming rates of burnout, depression, and attrition currently plaguing the profession," it further added.
The association further mentioned that the proposal lacks a visible roadmap for manpower management, as a 24-hour OPD service requires a functional three-shift rotation comprising not just doctors, but also nursing staff, paramedics, laboratory technicians, and administrative personnel.
"Given the current massive vacancy of sanctioned posts in government hospitals, there is no existing surplus of staff to cover these additional hours. Without a massive, immediate recruitment drive, this initiative will result in "ghost clinics" where quality is sacrificed for the sake of political optics, leaving patients with exhausted, unsupervised juniors rather than the comprehensive care they deserve fraternity," stated the association.
Besides, the resident doctors also emphasized that extending OPD hours will do nothing to solve the problem of hospital overcrowding, as the congestion at the tertiary care centers is a direct symptom of a failed primary healthcare tier and the absence of a structured referral system.
The RDA pointed out how patients travel hundreds of kilometers to major hospitals for minor ailments because their local clinics are under-resourced. Therefore, simply keeping the doors open 24/7 at major hospitals will not invite more non-emergency cases into a space meant for specialized care, further clogging the system and delaying treatment for those in critical need.
"Most critically, this move poses a direct threat to patient safety. Scientific data consistently prove that sleep deprivation impairs clinical judgment to a level comparable to alcohol intoxication. By institutionalizing a system that relies on sleep-deprived residents to make life-and-death decisions at 3:00 AM in an OPD setting, the government is unnecessarily jeopardizing patient lives. Coupled with the lack of robust security infrastructure to protect staff from workplace violence during late-night hours, this resolution creates a hazardous environment for both the provider and the recipient of care," the RDA said, as it urged the Parliament to withdraw the proposal and instead focus on strengthening primary health centers and strictly enforcing standardized working hours for the medical fraternity.
The United Doctors Front (UDF) has extended its support to the stand taken by RDA AIIMS in the matter. Speaking to Medical Dialogues, the Chairperson of UDF, Dr. Lakshya Mittal, said, "AIIMS residents already work until the work ends" with no real shift system, while the 48-hour/week cap remains unimplemented across centres. Excessive, long, and illegal duty hours create risks to the physical and mental health of resident doctors and also compromise the quality of healthcare and put patient safety at risk."
"UDF believes that 24-hour OPD without manpower and without system reform or accountability is not a solution. First, AIIMS shall implement its 21.08.2025 order for 48 hours a week and a maximum 12-hour duty at all AIIMS centers and fix accountability. The AIIMS order dated 21.08.2025 instructed to maintain proper statistics of the duty hours of resident doctors. Therefore, we demand a proper audit of the duty hours statistics of all AIIMS centers from 21.08.2025 till now. In case of irregularities, action shall be taken under sections 146, 337, 340, and 340 if applicable. UDF is in full support of RDA AIIMS in opposing this impractical proposal before it becomes policy. Other RDAs should take note," he added.
The Democratic Medical Association (DMA India) has also opposed the proposal, terming it impractical and potentially dangerous and has written to the Union Health Minister J.P.Nadda in this regard.
DMA National President Dr. Amit Vyas and General Secretary Dr. Shubh Pratap Solanki stated that the proposal is completely disconnected from ground realities. The healthcare system is already struggling with severe resource constraints, acute staff shortages, and overwhelming patient load. Implementing such a decision will only add further burden.
The association stated that without large-scale recruitment and a proper three-shift system, this proposal is unfeasible. Merely extending OPD hours will not reduce overcrowding but will instead increase unnecessary pressure on the system. DMA has also extended full support to the stance of AIIMS residents, stating: “Fix the system first, then consider expansion.”
It further argued that sleep deprivation, increasing workload, and inadequate security collectively pose serious risks, leading to medical errors and threatening the safety of healthcare workers.
DMA has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the 24-hour OPD proposal, strengthening of the primary healthcare and referral systems, urgent recruitment to fill vacant posts, and strict enforcement of duty hour regulations under the Central Residency Scheme, 1992. National President Dr. Vyas warned that if such decisions are imposed while ignoring ground realities, both patients and doctors will bear the consequences.
