IMA Demands Enforceable Duty-Hour Limits, Citing Rising Risks from Doctor Fatigue
The problem is for junior doctors who are being overburdened in both government and private hospitals. They need a roaster system, though available some do not implement it.
Hyderabad: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has raised serious concern over the lack of regulated working hours for doctors, warning that extreme fatigue among medical professionals is compromising both patient safety and doctor well-being.
In a statement, the association said that while sectors like aviation treat fatigue as a major safety hazard and strictly regulate duty hours, healthcare continues to normalise exhaustion as dedication and professional expectation.
The IMA highlighted that resident and junior doctors across the country are routinely made to work uninterrupted 24-48-hour shifts, a practice it termed unsafe and unethical.
The recent incident at RG Kar Medical College, which sparked nationwide debate over safety lapses and excessive work hours, underscored the systemic neglect of basic protection mechanisms for doctors, the association said.
Despite the Supreme Court's recommendations for 16-hour duty limits, CCTV surveillance, and separate rest areas for women doctors, the IMA noted that these measures have not been implemented so far.
Calling fatigue a systemic flaw rather than a sacrifice, the IMA demanded nationally enforceable duty-hour regulations, mandatory rest periods, adequate staffing and stronger institutional safeguards. “Patient safety and doctor safety are interconnected,” the statement said, urging the Centre, the National Medical Commission and hospitals to act immediately.
The problem is for junior doctors who are being overburdened in both government and private hospitals. They need a roaster system, though available some do not implement it, said IMA.