SC issues notice to Centre on plea against exploitative, inhuman working conditions of resident doctors

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Union government and others against a PIL filed by the United Doctors Front (UDF) questioning the exploitative and unconstitutional working conditions imposed on resident doctors across the country.

A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh sought a response from the Centre and others the plea filed through the organisation represented by President Dr Lakshya Mittal.

The petitioner was represented by senior advocate Sonia Mathur, Satyam Singh and Neema and others sought urgent intervention from the apex court to enforce compliance with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's 1992 notification, which mandated that resident doctors should not work more than 12 hours per day and 48 hours per week.

"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 plea said.

The PIL highlighted that despite clear directives from the Supreme Court over three decades ago, medical institutions continued to violate prescribed standards with impunity.

The petition cited 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 plea sought directions to all government and private medical institutions 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 labour rights but about the fundamental right to life with dignity guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution," the plea said.

The PIL also comes in the wake of the Supreme Court's observations in the RG Kar Medical College case last year, where the court termed resident doctors' working conditions as "inhuman."