New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission has entered into the long-running debate over hectic residency schedules in India’s medical colleges. It has issued a notice to the National Medical Commission and the Union Ministry of Health on Thursday regarding long duty hours imposed on medical students with disabilities.
The development came after a complaint, filed by the United Doctors Front (UDF), alleged that Persons with Disabilities (PwD) medical students are subjected to severe, exhausting marathon shifts lasting up to 72 hours without adequate support or a weekly off.
The complainant, Dr Lakshya Mittal, highlighted 24-72 hour shifts, violation of the Uniform Central Residency Scheme, 1992, and lack of reasonable accommodation, seeking strict implementation of norms with mandatory weekly offs.
“The excessive workload has reportedly led to severe mental and physical stress, suicides and dropouts among students, as also noted by the NMC’s National Task Force in 2024. We further submitted that PwD students are disproportionately affected due to a lack of reasonable accommodation, poor infrastructure, and weak grievance mechanisms,” Mittal, chairperson of UDF, stated in the letter.
The complaint states that for PwD resident doctors, the pressure of long shifts is compounded by physical barriers and social stigma.
“PwD students are already dealing with disability and discrimination. Cruel duty hours make things worse,” the complaint states.
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Long-drawn problem
Similar concerns had been raised earlier as well. In July 2025, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment wrote to the health ministry, asking for action on excessive duty hours and caste-based discrimination faced by PG medical students from marginalised communities, including PwD students.
The UDF said that this constitutes a violation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, despite a communication from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment dated 2 July last year.
The complaint has prayed that the NHRC direct the NMC to strictly implement the Uniform Central Residency Scheme, 1992, with mandatory weekly offs, especially for PwD students.
Taking note of the matter, the Commission stated that the allegations constitute “serious violations of the Human Rights of the victims.” The NHRC Registry has been directed to forward a copy of the complaint to the chairman of the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for inquiry.
The Commission has sought an Action Taken Report from both authorities within two weeks of the date of receipt of the notice. UDF has thanked the NHRC and requested the concerned officials to take necessary action.
The complaint does not state an exact figure, but states that PwD candidates account for around 5 per cent across categories—suggesting several thousand postgraduate medical students could be affected nationwide.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)