The Central government has informed the Rajya Sabha that there is currently no uniform national framework prescribing maximum daily and weekly working hours for doctors across government and private hospitals in the country. Instead, the National Medical Commission (NMC) frames policies and regulations of medical education.
Responding to an unstarred question raised by Rajya Sabha MP Dr Ajeet Madhavrao Gopchade, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, said the NMC, established under the NMC Act, 2019, is the apex regulatory body for medical education, the medical profession, and medical institutions in the country.
The MP had asked if the government had assessed the absence of an enforceable national framework that regulates doctors’ working hours and whether it planned to introduce national guidelines.
He also questioned whether the government has examined international practices followed in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Hong Kong, as well as working-hour guidelines issued by Kerala’s State government.
NMC Rules for Postgraduate Resident Doctors
Patel referred to the Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations (PGMER), 2023, issued by the NMC, according to which all postgraduate students are required to work as full-time resident doctors with reasonable working hours and enough daily rest every day.
As per the regulation, postgraduate resident doctors have also been provided with several leave benefits, which include 20 days of casual leave, five days of academic paid leave each year, and one weekly day off.
At the same time, female PG students are allowed to take maternity leave, while male PG students are eligible for paternity leave in accordance with applicable government norms.
On the issue of ethical medical practices and medical advertising, the minister stated that the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, are responsible for the regulation of the professional conduct and ethical responsibilities of Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs), including the control of unethical advertising.