Overworked & understaffed: PGI faces silent crisis

Chandigarh: A silent crisis is unfolding at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI), where resident doctors are grappling with extreme work pressure, exhaustion and mounting mental health concerns, despite official mandates limiting duty hours.While institutional guidelines assure resident doctors a 12-hour workday and a mandatory weekly off, doctors working in wards and emergency services say these norms remain largely unimplemented on the ground. Resident doctors, speaking on condition of anonymity, said heavy patient load, staffing shortages and the inability to leave patients unattended routinely force them to exceed prescribed work hours.PGI director Prof Vivek Lal has introduced reforms aimed at easing pressure on junior and senior residents, with emphasis on capped shifts and adequate rest. However, residents claim the guidelines remain confined to paper. "We are told patients cannot be left unattended, and because there are simply not enough doctors to manage the workload, the 12-hour limit is the first thing to be ignored," said a resident doctor.PGI has over 600 junior resident doctors and nearly an equal number of senior residents each year. While most junior residents eventually complete their training programmes, they do so under immense psychological and physical strain. Doctors have called for urgent intervention that goes beyond policy announcements to include increased staffing, better workload distribution and strict enforcement of recovery time between shifts.Residents also flagged workplace challenges beyond long hours. "We deal with interpersonal conflicts, face the looming threat of violence from patient attendants, and struggle to balance family expectations and financial pressures," another resident doctor said.The relentless workload is taking a toll on doctors' health. "There is no time to sleep or rest. I feel constantly sleep-deprived, which affects my focus and attention. There is also no time to eat proper meals," said a resident.Sources said the PGI administration is aware of the concerns and plans to flag them to the Union ministry of health and family welfare. Deliberations are also underway to increase MD and DM seats, which would lead to a larger intake of resident doctors to ease the burden, sources added.MSID:: 130173289 413 |