National Doctors’ Day UDF releases explosive national report on eve of Doctors’ Day

 

 

On the eve of National Doctors’ Day, the United Doctors Front (UDF) rather marking the occasion as symbolic gesture released an explosive national report and launched a nationwide ‘Work to Rule’ campaign to protect the extreme workload and mental health crisis faced by medical students and resident doctors pan India. “The newly unveiled report, titled ‘Excessive Duty Hours and Mental Health Crisis Among Medical Students: A National Survey’ presents a sobering account of overwork, burnout and systemic neglect endured by thousands of MBBS interns and post graduate medical trainees,” said UDF Chairperson and National President Dr. Lakshya Mittal drew attention to what he described as “a dangerous erosion of the physical and mental health of India’s medical interns and resident doctors.”

 

The survey, compiled from thousands of MBBS interns and postgraduate trainees across India, presents a disturbing pattern of systemic overwork and neglect: nearly 62% of respondents reported clocking more than 72 hours a week, frequently without a single day off; an overwhelming 84.77% confessed to grappling with psychological distress ranging from clinical burnout to depression and anxiety; and a staggering 86.52% admitted that these mental health conditions directly impair both their professional efficiency and the quality of patient care they are expected to deliver. Exacerbating this crisis, several students also cited the burden of punitive seat-leaving clauses with financial penalties ranging from Rs 25 to Rs 50 lakh, which not only undermine morale but create a climate of fear that prevents legitimate grievances from being voiced or addressed.

 

UDF’s reform charter outlines a comprehensive framework aimed at safeguarding the rights and welfare of medical students across India, beginning with the urgent enforcement of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s 1992 Duty Hour Regulations alongside the NMC’s 2023 Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations (PGMER); the robust implementation of anti-ragging mechanisms and equitable stipend disbursement across all states; the immediate enactment of a Central Protection Act to ensure physical and legal safety for doctors in the line of duty; and the institutionalisation of accessible mental health counselling services and structured grievance redressal systems within every medical college to foster a secure, supportive, and academically enriching environment. Calling upon the Ministry of Health and institutional leaders across the country, Dr. Mittal concluded, “Let this Doctors’ Day become a tipping point – not for slogans, but for structural sanity. Our medical students are not just the future of healthcare, they are citizens deserving dignity today.” 

 

 

A firestorm of protest has erupted across Chhattisgarh’s healthcare community following an appalling instance of verbal abuse allegedly hurled by Additional Collector Virendra Bahadur Panchbhai at Dr. Jayashree Sahu, a respected senior paediatrician rendering voluntary service in Maoist-affected Narayanpur after retirement. Dr Sahu had approached the Additional Collector to formally request a room at the district’s government transit hostel – a modest demand considering her ongoing service in one of the country’s most hostile tribal belts. However, the interaction turned demeaning when Panchbhai reportedly responded with shockingly derogatory language. According to a viral video of the beleaguered female doctor, uploaded on social media platform – formerly known as Twitter, now called X, the errant Additional Collector humiliatingly remarked: “Kahaan-kahaan se muh utha ke chale aate hain doctors… mera bas chale toh sabko nikaal doon… do kaudi ke doctors!” (These doctors show up from anywhere… If I had my way, I’d throw them all out… Cheap, worthless doctors!) The remark has provoked national outrage, especially among medical bodies and rights advocates, who see it as symbolic of the deep-rooted administrative apathy towards public service healthcare workers. “This is not just the humiliation of Dr. Jayashree Sahu – it’s an insult to every doctor serving in India’s toughest terrains,” said Dr. Lakshya Mittal, National President of the United Doctors Front (UDF). “We demand a formal public apology and immediate disciplinary action against the officer. Doctors deserve dignity, not disgrace.” The Junior Doctors Association (JDA) of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Medical College (Pt.JNMMC) in Raipur, issued a scathing response on social media platform X – calling the conduct “utterly shameful” and a reflection of a colonial mindset toward the medical profession. Former IMA Raipur President and Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC) Medical Cell Chairman Dr. Rakesh Gupta termed it “gross administrative insensitivity,” adding, “This incident is not just a personal affront but an institutional insult.” According to Dr Gupta, tensions also escalated further as doctors and interns who attempted to stage a peaceful protest in solidarity were reportedly evicted from the hospital premises, and disciplinary action is said to be under consideration against them - a move that has intensified the backlash.