Ahmedabad: The Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), Gujarat, has directed all govt medical colleges to improve the working conditions of first-year resident doctors after receiving complaints of excessive workload, inadequate rest and alleged mental harassment.The directive, issued by the additional director, came in response to a representation from parents of postgraduate medical students, who alleged that first-year residents were being subjected to long working hours, insufficient sleep and mounting mental stress.In the communication sent to heads of departments, DMER instructed institutions to strictly implement the National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines governing resident doctors’ duty schedules.Under the norms, postgraduate residents must be given one weekly off, while duty rosters should ensure they get six to eight hours within every 24-hour period for rest, personal care and sleep.The department also stressed the need to eliminate mental and emotional harassment of junior doctors. Senior residents have been asked to maintain a respectful and supportive approach towards first-year residents, while public reprimands or humiliation have been discouraged.If shortcomings are noticed in a resident’s clinical work, heads of units or departments were advised to counsel them privately and provide guidance for improvement instead of resorting to public criticism.The directive further instructed departments not to assign resident doctors non-academic or unrelated duties beyond their clinical and educational responsibilities. Medical colleges have also been asked to regularly monitor the mental well-being of postgraduate students and intervene whenever concerns are identified.Emphasising the need for a healthier work culture, DMER said medical colleges should foster trust between faculty members and first-year residents so that young doctors can raise concerns freely without fear of harassment or retaliation.The measures are aimed at creating a safer and more supportive training environment for postgraduate medical students across state’s govt medical colleges.