Over 40 per cent of medical students in India face toxic work environments

Over 40 per cent of medical students studying in India's premier medical colleges have described their work environment as toxic, a latest survey by the largest national body of resident doctors said on Thursday.

The survey, which received over 2,000 responses from students across medical colleges spread over 28 states/UTs, also found that payment of a timely stipend, a burning issue among them, was received by only half of them.

Alarmingly, 73.9% of the medical students, including those from AIIMS, PGI Chandigarh, JIPMER, and other institutions, reported excessive clerical workloads, while 55.2% cited staff shortages.

The national survey by the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA), which revealed serious deficiencies in infrastructure, faculty strength, and overall training standards in newly established medical institutions, also noted that only 29.5% of institutions experienced fixed working hours, indicating a lack of structural and administrative discipline.

Furthermore, 89.4% of those surveyed felt that poor infrastructure directly affects the quality of medical education.

According to Dr Akshay Dongardive, National President of FAIMA, the survey reveals a deep and systemic crisis in India's medical education framework.

“The voices of students, teachers, and professionals, from AIIMS, PGI, JIPMER to institutions in remote regions like Andaman and Nicobar, reflect a unified message: our medical institutions are in urgent need of structural reform,” he said.

The FAIMA-Review Medical System (FAIMA-RMS) survey also found that only 71.5% of respondents reported adequate patient exposure.

The survey said that while 90.4% of the participants were from government institutions, 7.8% were from private colleges.

While 54.3% confirmed regular teaching sessions, 69.2% found laboratory and equipment facilities satisfactory.

Faculty adequacy stood at 68.8%, while just 44.1% reported the presence of functional skills labs.

The survey further said that private colleges showed slightly better teaching regularity and faculty strength, while government institutions reported greater patient exposure but heavier administrative burdens.

Despite moderate confidence levels in skills acquisition (70.4%), only 57.4% of respondents felt prepared for independent practice, suggesting a growing gap between theoretical learning and practical competence.

“The data is both revealing and disturbing,” Dr. Dongardive said.

Despite the National Task Force’s (NTF) 2024 recommendations, which included fixed duty hours, mental health support systems, and structured wellness measures, implementation has been dismal and largely superficial, he added.

“This disconnect between recommendations and real-world action is unacceptable and continues to endanger the quality of medical education and the well-being of future doctors,” he added.

“FAIMA demands immediate, measurable action from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Medical Commission (NMC). We urge policymakers to treat this data not as a report, but as a call to responsibility. The future of India’s healthcare depends on how swiftly and seriously these systemic failures are addressed. We will not accept silence. We expect solutions,” he further said.

The survey noted that a year has passed since the NTF recommendations, but only a few tangible changes can be observed on the ground.

Stressing the need for urgent reforms, including improved infrastructure, adequate staffing, reduction of clerical burdens, timely stipends, and mandatory skills lab facilities in every medical college, FAIMA stated that swift corrective measures are necessary to ensure that India's expanding medical education network maintains global standards of quality and produces well-trained, confident healthcare professionals.

The association will formally submit its survey report to the NMC, NITI Aayog, and the Ministry for the mental and academic well-being of medical professionals across the country.

The NTF was constituted in accordance with the Supreme Court's directions to formulate a protocol for the safety and security of healthcare professionals. The 10-member NTF was formed last year following the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, which sparked nationwide protests from medicos and various medical bodies. FAIMA was among the associations that took the lead in the country-wide protests.