After 33 yrs, govt holds meet to review long working hrs for resident doctors

AFTER 33 years, the centre held a high-level meeting on Tuesday to review and update the Central Residency Scheme, 1992.

- KAVITA BAJELI-DATT @ New Delhi

AFTER 33 years, the centre held a high-level meeting on Tuesday to review and update the Central Residency Scheme, 1992. The meeting, chaired by the newly appointed Additional Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Dr Sunita Sharma, discussed issues such as hostel facilities, long working hours, and salaries of resident doctors - both junior and senior resident doctors - who form the backbone of government hospitals. "We held the first meeting today and discussed various issues. We will meet again," Dr Atul Goel, Director General of Health Services (DGHS), told this paper.

He said no final decision was made on the issues that were taken up and that the ministry would give its final approval. However, various resident doctor associations claimed that their top demand of a fixed 48-hour per week working hours for resident doctors had been accepted.