FAIMA RMS 2.0 Report: 61% of Resident Doctors Work Over 36 Hours; Association Demands Urgent Reforms

The backbone of India’s healthcare system is collapsing under the weight of extreme exhaustion. A nationwide survey conducted by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) has officially laid bare the severe working conditions of resident doctors across the country. The findings, released as part of the Review Medical System (RMS) 2.0 survey, paint a grim picture of a medical education system plagued by sleep deprivation, critical staff shortages, and hazardous work hours.  

The Breaking Point: 36-Hour Shifts

Building upon the previous RMS 1.0 survey – which highlighted infrastructure gaps and poor mental health support – the RMS 2.0 report focuses specifically on the brutal day-to-day realities of medical residents. The statistics are alarming. According to the survey, an overwhelming 87.5% of respondents reported experiencing burnout either frequently or occasionally. Furthermore, 87.8% of the doctors stated they suffered from severe sleep deprivation due to their relentless schedules.  

Perhaps the most shocking revelation is the normalization of extreme shifts: more than 61% of resident doctors reported working continuously for over 36 hours. The psychological toll of this schedule is devastating, with 54.4% of respondents admitting that they had, at some point, considered quitting their residency entirely due to immense work-related stress.

Also read: Doctors Urge Health Minister for Pilot-Like Duty Hours to Prevent Burnout

Understaffed and Overworked

The survey directly links this widespread exhaustion to chronic manpower shortages. Around 65.7% of the respondents felt their specific departments were severely understaffed, while 66.1% described their clinical workload as either high or extremely high. FAIMA noted that this heavy workload forces resident doctors to work grueling hours, leaving them with little to no time for rest, academic learning, or personal well-being.  

Additionally, the survey highlighted the unequal access to mental health support across medical institutions. Many doctors reported being completely unaware of available counseling services, while others raised serious concerns regarding workplace toxicity, harassment, and the absolute lack of transparent grievance redressal mechanisms.

FAIMA Demands National Reforms

Armed with this damning data, FAIMA is pushing for urgent, nationwide policy changes. The association’s primary recommendations include:  

 • Introducing a strict national cap on the duty hours of resident doctors.  

 • Ensuring mandatory rest periods following 24-hour shifts.  

 • Implementing a hard stop to prevent continuous clinical duties from exceeding 36 hours.  

• Recruiting more healthcare personnel to bridge the staffing gap.  

 • Establishing round-the-clock, confidential counseling services and dedicated mental health committees within all medical institutions.

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The FAIMA RMS 2.0 survey doesn’t just reveal a crisis in medical education; it exposes a massive threat to patient safety. A resident doctor forced to work continuously for over 36 hours is operating with the cognitive impairment of someone legally intoxicated. We cannot continue to glorify sleep deprivation and toxic workloads as a necessary “rite of passage” for future specialists. When over half of our young doctors are contemplating quitting due to sheer stress, the system is fundamentally broken. Implementing a strict national cap on duty hours isn’t a luxury—it is an absolute necessity for the survival of both the doctors and their patients