Resident Doctors Face Excessive Workload Due to Legal Flaw
Summary
Resident doctors in Nepal are being pushed to work up to 135 hours a week because the Medical Education Act defines them as students, allowing medical colleges to use them as unpaid permanent staff. Health workers say the lack of clear rules, monitoring, accommodation, and proper allowances is harming doctors’ wellbeing and patient care.
Key Points
- The Medical Education Act, 2075 BS calls residents students, creating a legal loophole that lets medical colleges assign excessive work while avoiding staff responsibilities.
- Resident doctors are reportedly working up to 135 hours a week, with some colleges using them as substitutes for permanent staff instead of training them within the curriculum.
- Doctors’ groups say clear residency rules, duty-hour limits, accommodation, and proper living allowances are needed, while current monitoring by regulators remains weak.
- The article cites serious health and safety consequences, including burnout, poor patient care, and a reported resident doctor death from a heart attack while on duty in Pokhara.
