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Health

Islamabad High Court calls doctors' 102-hour week "inhuman", orders PMDC review

The IHC has directed the PMDC to examine excessive working hours for doctors and report back with recommendations, calling the prevailing 102-hour week "inhuman".

By Sarah Whitfield · · 2 min read

Photo: DFID - UK Department for International Development, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Islamabad High Court has directed the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council to examine the issue of excessive working hours for doctors and place its recommendations before the government, calling the prevailing 102-hour work week for medics “inhuman”.

The IHC issued the direction on Tuesday, Dawn reported, observing that requiring doctors to work such long hours was beyond acceptable limits. The court asked the PMDC, the country’s medical regulator, to study the matter and report back with proposals.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan told the court that international standards set far lower ceilings: doctors in Europe work a maximum of 48 hours a week, while the limit in the United States is 80 hours.

The case traces back to a 2017 petition filed by Islamabad doctor Nafeesa Hiba, who argued that resident doctors and house officers were routinely made to work more than 102 hours a week, often with consecutive shifts of up to 30 hours and no time or proper place for sleep. Her counsel, Saimul Haq Satti, argued the schedule violated fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution, the Express Tribune reported at the time.

Dr Hiba’s petition cited research showing that residents working beyond 24 hours faced a 73 per cent higher risk of needle-stick injuries and were 2.3 times more likely to be involved in car accidents, with sleep deprivation slowing reaction times to levels comparable to alcohol intoxication, Dawn reported in 2017.

Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb had previously issued notices to the Health Ministry, the PMDC and the CPSP, directing them to submit detailed responses in the case.

Sources

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