IHC seeks Pakistan Medical and Dental Council view on doctors’ working hours

• Terms 102-hour work week for medics ‘inhuman’ • CPSP cites international limits, including 48 hours per week in Europe, 80 hours in US ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday direc­ted the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to examine the issue of excessive working hours for doctors and place its recommendations before the government, observing that requiring doctors to work up to 102 hours a week was inhuman. Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Min­has heard at length a petition concerning the working hours of doctors and, with the consent of the parties, converted the writ petition into a representation before the PMDC. The court directed the PMDC to decide the representation and place its recommendations before the federal and provincial governments for appropriate action.

The issue assumes significance as comments submitted by the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) before the court have highlighted the serious consequences of prolonged duty hours for both doctors and patients. According to the CPSP material placed before the court, after approximately 18 hours of work, doctors develop psychomotor dysfunction equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0. 05. At 24 hours of continuous duty, the impairment was stated to be equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0. 1. The document questioned the safety of expecting an exhausted doctor to make critical decisions or perform medical procedures after such prolonged duty. The CPSP comments also state that tired doctors make more mistakes than doctors who are fresh, alert and properly supervised. The stated objective, according to the document, should therefore be to reduce working hours to a level that allows for a healthy work-life balance for staff and ensures safe care for patients. The material…