Postgraduate (PG) doctors leaving residency programs at premier medical institutions have renewed concerns about prolonged working hours, workplace harassment and inadequate institutional support in India's medical training system. Data obtained through Right to Information (RTI) applications by the United Doctors Front (UDF) revealed that 34 junior residents left AIIMS Delhi in 2025, compared with 60 in 2024. The number of new residents joining also declined from 324 in 2024 to 267 in 2025. Anesthesiology recorded the highest number of departures in 2025, with seven residents, followed by ophthalmology with six.

Surgery and pathology reported three departures each. JIPMER, Puducherry, also reported 44 resident departures in 2025, compared with 60 in 2024. The exits involved several specialities, including anesthesiology, emergency medicine, orthopedics, pathology and surgery. Similar…