Rajasthan’s hospitals have grown fast over the past few years—more buildings, more equipment, more patients. But there’s a group holding the whole thing together that barely gets noticed: residential doctors. These doctors who work there, are the youth, basically postgrads or interns, who keep state hospitals working day and night. They handle emergencies, check on patients, fill out paperwork, and back-up the senior doctors. Without them, the system would toil to a pause, especially during late hours when fewer staff is available. But talk to anyone in a white coat, and you’ll get to hear the same thing: the workload is increasing and what they take home (pay check) is not according to their workload.
Let’s talk about those stipends. Rajasthan’s residential doctors get paid less than their counterparts in many other states. Even when the government raise stipend amount every few years, it never seems to be sufficient with the real cost of living. Rent, food, getting to work, by the time they’ve covered the fundamentals, there’s nothing left for savings or emergencies. That constant money stress wears people down. No surprise that morale takes a hit, and burnout spreads.
Stories from inside the hospitals are cruel, 100-hour weeks aren’t rare, and working shifts just extend on. These young doctors try to grab sleep where-ever they can, but it’s still not enough. Working like this isn’t just hard on the doctors, but also it puts patients and their life at risk, too. Tired doctors make mistakes, and everyone knows it.
Medical associations have started speaking out, demanding to set proper working hours, real breaks, and actual implementation of labour laws. If those changes actually happens, (which is still uncertain) everyone gets benefits from this, doctors get more normal lives, and patients get safer care.
So, what’s the fix? It’s not rocket science. Stipends should actually match what it costs to live. Hours-plan should be clear and fair. Hospitals need to listen and understand when doctors speak up. Better mental health support, decent hostels, smarter staffing—these things matter. Because when doctors are healthy, rested, and respected, they can actually focus on treating people. And that’s what the whole system is supposed to be about.
This isn’t just about treating doctors right. It’s about making sure people who come to Rajasthan’s public hospitals get the care they deserve. If we want a strong healthcare system, we need to start by taking care of the people who hold it up.