FAIMA survey flags burnout among resident doctors; 61% worked over 36 hours, calls for nationwide reforms

A nationwide survey conducted by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) has raised concerns over the working conditions of resident doctors across India, with a majority of respondents reporting burnout, sleep deprivation, prolonged duty hours and inadequate post-duty rest. The results were released as part of the review medical system (RMS) 2.0 survey.

The online survey gathered responses from 1,260 resident doctors across 28 states and Union Territories, including junior residents, senior residents, non-academic residents and interns. According to FAIMA, the exercise was carried out to understand the challenges faced by resident doctors and generate data that could help push for policy reforms on issues such as workload, mental health, bond policies, stipends and workplace support.

RMS 2.0 follows the association's earlier RMS 1.0 survey, which had highlighted problems such as irregular duty hours, inadequate infrastructure, faculty shortages and poor mental health support in medical institutions. This latest report focuses specifically on the day-to-day experiences of resident doctors.

Burnout, sleep deprivation remain major concerns

The survey found that 87.5% of respondents experienced burnout either frequently or occasionally, while 87.8% said they suffered from sleep deprivation because of their work schedules. More than 61% reported working continuously for over 36 hours, and 54.4% said they had at some point considered quitting their residency due to work-related stress.

One of the more concerning findings was that 16.9% of respondents admitted to having thoughts of self-harm linked to workplace stress.

The report also found that 63.7% of resident doctors rarely or never received mandatory rest after completing 24-hour shifts. According to FAIMA, such working conditions not only affect doctors' physical and mental well-being but could also have implications for patient safety.

Heavy workload and staff shortage add pressure

The survey points to staff shortages as one of the major reasons behind excessive workload. Around 65.7 per cent of respondents felt their departments were understaffed, while 66.1 per cent described their workload as either high or extremely high.

The shortage of manpower forces resident doctors to work longer hours, leaving little time for rest, academics or personal well-being. The association noted that the pressure of excessive clinical responsibilities often comes at the cost of both learning and mental health.

Financial concerns also emerged as a recurring issue. Many respondents expressed dissatisfaction with compulsory service bonds and uneven stipend structures across institutions. They favoured more uniform stipend policies, timely payments and a review of bond-related penalties.

Need for better mental health support

The report found that access to counselling services and grievance redressal mechanisms remains uneven across medical colleges. Several respondents said they were either unaware of available mental health support or felt existing systems were inadequate.

Resident doctors also raised concerns about workplace toxicity, harassment and the lack of transparent mechanisms to report grievances. These findings underline the need to create safer and more supportive working environments in medical institutions.

Association seeks nationwide reforms

Based on the survey findings, FAIMA has recommended introducing a national cap on resident doctors' duty hours, ensuring mandatory rest after 24-hour shifts and preventing continuous duties beyond 36 hours.

Among its other recommendations are recruiting more healthcare personnel, setting up round-the-clock confidential counselling services, establishing dedicated mental health committees in institutions and strengthening grievance redressal systems.

The association has also called for uniform stipend policies across states, a review of compulsory service bonds and seat-leaving penalties, greater involvement of residents in preparing duty rosters, regular workload audits, stronger anti-harassment measures, better infrastructure for postgraduate training and improved healthcare facilities at peripheral centres to reduce pressure on tertiary hospitals.

FAIMA said the findings indicate that many of the concerns identified in the earlier RMS 1.0 survey continue to persist, suggesting that significant systemic reforms are still needed.