Debate Erupts Over Quality of Medical Education and Working Conditions of Young Doctors
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A social media exchange has triggered fresh debate over 44-day ad-hoc contracts for junior doctors and the standards of medical education in India.
Start of Dicussion
The discussion began when healthcare professional Biswaranjan Pattnaik criticized the practice of repeatedly appointing junior doctors on 44-day contracts, which he compared to exploitative industry models denying workers benefits like EPF and ESI.
According to him, if young doctors appear underprepared, the responsibility also lies with medical teachers and institutions. He warned against dismissing the abilities of NEETPG qualifiers, he stated in his post “By questioning even those with a 2000 rank, you indirectly undermine NBEMS and NEETPG itself. The younger generation is far superior — do not humiliate them.”
Experience of Experts
Earlier, senior physician Dr. Pragya Shukla had shared her experience of interviewing candidates for such ad-hoc posts. She described the clinical skills and knowledge of many applicants as poor, even among those with strong NEETPG ranks.
Examples she cited included confusion in differentiating ascitic vs. pleural tapping and misinterpretation of signs such as clubbing. She called the current setup a “scam”, arguing that indebted graduates are being trapped in insecure, short-term posts.
She stated “What the country needs is a better medical education system — not just more colleges.”
Together, the contrasting perspectives highlight a dual crisis, exploitative work conditions and gaps in training quality pointing to the need for urgent reforms in India’s medical education and workforce policies. It is not the first time such exploration happening, rather a continued repeated norm.
Expert Comment
We spoke to Dr. Dhruv Chauhan, a reputed medical influencer and member of IMA–JDN, who condemned the current practice, calling it “unfortunate that doctors have to plead just requesting for the completion of their employment tenure.”
He highlighted that government hospitals today often recruit doctors on 44-day ad-hoc contracts. Under such terms, doctors feel neither fully employed nor unemployed, but left “hanging in between, constantly worried about their next job.”
Dr. Chauhan further noted that while some doctors are extended in these posts, others are not, raising serious questions about the system’s fairness.
He alleged that in recent years, vacancies often go to those who pay 1–2 months’ salary in advance (₹1–3 lakh), while meritorious candidates even gold medalists or in-house doctors from the same institution are overlooked.
He cited the recent case at GTB Hospital, Delhi, where “not a single doctor from the hospital itself was selected.”
He concluded by urging the MoHFW, India, to put an end to such short-term job offers and instead ensure regular appointments with a minimum one-year tenure to promote fairness and eliminate corruption.
The Medical Bulletin
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