Published Nov 08, 2026 | 3:31 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 08, 2026 | 3:31 PM
Under the revised schedule, junior doctors will work two 12-hour shifts a week and six hours a day on the remaining four working days.
Synopsis: Osmania General Hospital in Hyderabad has capped duty hours for junior residents and interns at 48 a week and mandated one uninterrupted day off every week. The move follows concerns over prolonged working hours, with junior doctors sometimes working for up to 72 hours at a stretch.
Osmania General Hospital (OGH) in Hyderabad has capped the weekly duty hours of junior residents and interns at 48, replacing prolonged and unstructured working hours with a fixed shift system that guarantees one full day off every week.
In a circular issued on 27 October, the OGH Superintendent directed all heads of departments (HODs) to immediately restructure duty rosters. Under the revised schedule, junior doctors will work two 12-hour shifts a week and six hours a day on the remaining four working days. Each junior resident and intern must also receive one full, uninterrupted day off every week.
The decision follows concerns over excessive working hours among postgraduate medical students and a suicide reported at the hospital four months ago, said N Chandrakanth, president of the OGH Junior Doctors Association.
“The unhygienic practice was to make junior doctors work for up to 72 hours. In departments such as orthopaedics, junior residents sometimes work for more than 72 hours, with no clear schedule for rest or sleep. The new system will help departments plan shifts and distribute work,” he added.
The circular states that the revised duty pattern is intended to protect the mental health and physical well-being of frontline medical staff while improving clinical efficiency. It directs HODs to personally review and approve the revised monthly duty rosters and submit them to the Medical Superintendent’s office by the 28th of every month.
Attendance of interns and junior residents must be monitored by the respective unit chief or a faculty representative.
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The Osmania Junior Doctors Association (JUDA) thanked the Principal of Osmania Medical College and the OGH Superintendent for introducing the revised duty norms. In a statement, it described the decision as an important step towards creating a healthier and more sustainable working environment for junior doctors and urged HODs and faculty members to cooperate in implementing the guidelines.
Telangana Medical Council member Dr G Srinivas welcomed the circular, saying it conformed to the relevant National Medical Commission (NMC) postgraduate medical education regulations and Government of India guidelines.
Dr Karthik Nagula, president of the Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA), said the initiative was a progressive step towards preventing burnout and improving patient care. He expressed hope that similar duty-hour norms would be introduced across government medical colleges and hospitals in Telangana.
The OGH Junior Doctors Association has urged all departments to implement the revised schedule and called on other government hospitals to adopt a similar system.
(Edited by Dese Gowda with inputs from Sumit Jha)
