MUMBAI: A new nationwide survey of 1,200 doctors claims that India’s medical workforce is under mounting strain. 91% of doctors would discourage their children from choosing medicine as a profession in the current climate. Nearly half, 47%, said they had actively considered leaving the profession.The study reports that 67% doctors have faced medico-legal complaints and 84% fear assault. Doctors report burnout, legal exposure and career doubt. This raises concerns about long-term doctor-patient ratio gap and workforce sustainability.Patients, of course, would hold a different viewpoint from the study given the rampant commercialisation of healthcare in India, which was once affordable and benevolent. Doctors were looked upon as extended family, but that trust has severely eroded with the advent of corporatisation.The nationwide study in question was conducted by the Debabrata Mitalee Auro Foundation (DAF) between January and June 2025. 91.4% doctors surveyed said they would not encourage their children to pursue medicine as a career.The foundation claims this reflects concern about present working conditions and systemic pressures rather than a loss of faith in medicine as a vocation.With India facing challenges in maintaining the doctor-to-patient ratio, the study raises concerns that this gap may widen if fewer high-performing students choose medicine or if more doctors consider early exit.The study surveyed 1,208 doctors across Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in both private and govt practice. Of the respondents, 63% were male and 37% female. 78% were from the private sector and 22% from govt hospitals. The respondents specialised in general medicine, surgery, paediatrics, gynaecology, dermatology, orthopaedics, ENT, etc.The findings indicate strain and disillusionment. 78% respondents reported high levels of burnout in the past year. 56% said they experienced symptoms consistent with anxiety or depression.84% said they feel more likely than the general population to face physical or verbal assault by patients or their families. And 67% reported having been named in some form of medico-legal complaint, which is a shocking statistic.61% believe public perception of doctors has worsened over the past five years. In fact nearly half, 47%, said they had actively considered leaving the profession. Prof. Dr Debraj Shome, founder of the Debabrata Mitalee Auro Foundation, commented on the findings, “When 91.4% of doctors say they would not want their children to enter medicine, it signals something deeper than routine burnout. This study shows that 78% are experiencing high burnout, and 56% report symptoms of anxiety or depression. Add to that the fact that 84% express concern about physical or verbal assault, and you begin to see how the practice environment has altered.““Clinical decisions are increasingly made with an awareness of potential litigation, public scrutiny, and personal vulnerability, factors that did not shape everyday practice to the same extent in previous decades. That sustained pressure inevitably influences behaviour, be it communication patterns or risk-taking, and it raises important questions about long-term workforce stability.”He said that viewed against global benchmarks, the contrast is notable. A 2022 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 29% of doctors worldwide report symptoms of depression. In the United Kingdom, one in four doctors has considered quitting due to stress, according to the British Medical Association (2023). The Indian data signals deeper levels of stress and attrition.The foundation says that “the report aims to initiate dialogue on systemic reform, including structured mental health support for doctors, stronger legal and institutional protections against violence and harassment, public sensitisation efforts to rebuild trust, and healthcare workplace policies that enable recovery and respite”.This study has been released alongside a book titled ‘Doctors Are Not Murderers’, authored by Dr Shome and Dr Aarti Heda. It compiles 23 essays by well known medical practitioners from India and abroad including Dr Nikhil Datar, Dr Kuldeep Raizada, Dr Rajan Bhonsle, Dr John Adler and Dr Pankaj Singh.“The book reflects how medical practice is increasingly shaped by fear — fear of litigation, fear of violence and fear of public misjudgment. Several essays address the rise of defensive medicine, the psychological toll of litigation and media scrutiny, and the moral injury experienced by practitioners who operate in high-stakes environments where uncertainty is inherent. Other essays explore violence against doctors, the pressures of regulatory oversight, and the widening gap between public expectation and clinical reality. Rather than arguing for immunity from accountability, the book calls for proportionality, context and due process in assessing medical error,” a press release said Wednesday.
