SINGAPORE: A junior doctor from Singapore shared on social media that he is scheduled to work up to 110 hours per week, from 6 am to 9 pm, without any off days for the next six months.
“There’s also additional admin that I must complete at home. Won’t give more details so I can maintain anonymity,” he added.
Finding this schedule outrageous, he asked others online if he could possibly report this as a violation of working hours to the concerned authorities, such as the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) or the Ministry of Health (MOH).
“MOH mandates a maximum of 80 hours per week. However I heard somewhere that it doesn’t apply to doctors.. and my department doesn’t care as well (I log my hours truthfully and have been told to under-report).”
“Has anyone had experience reporting or escalating in a similar situation? Or will it just make life even harder for me once found out?”
“Realistically, you report, nothing is going to improve.”
In the comments section, many agreed that reporting to the authorities would likely not bring about any change.
One netizen whose wife was in residency shared that the hospital administration had once told her to “underreport her hours” to meet the stipulated 80-hour limit.
He then advised the man, “Tough it out. It gets better. Realistically, you report, nothing is going to improve.”
Another netizen confirmed this and said that residents are commonly asked in the industry to adjust their duty hours and only choose “acceptable” answers on ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) surveys.
Thus, if he attempts to report this to MOH, he will likely be gaslighted to think that only “he is having this problem” because, based on their data, no one else has experienced this “violation of duty hours.”
He added, “Your best bet is to grind through the next 6 months and depending on what you want to do in the future, to strategically plan your postings or find a way out into private practice.”
Adding to the discussion, a third netizen explained that this hospital culture is already deeply ingrained in the industry and goes beyond following guidelines or rules.
He also noted that this is rampant in Singapore and other countries, citing instances like the doctor strikes in Seoul and ongoing discussions among healthcare workers worldwide about excessive workloads.
He went on to say, “You have to suck it up for now and find more indirect ways of mitigating this and defending some of your nonexistent personal time.
You absolutely should not cite guidelines and fight directly.
Your best shot at meaningful change is to preserve your relationships and rise enough within the system that you can change it from inside.”
Similarly, earlier this year, a Singaporean doctor took to social media to express concerns about the extensive work hours for doctors, citing it as one of the foremost challenges in the healthcare system.
“Personally, this is the most ridiculous existing issue and requires urgent, if not immediate, change,” he said.
“Anyone could end up seeking treatment in a public hospital. Imagine if your loved one was being operated on by a doctor who has not slept in 24 hours. This possibly occurs on a daily basis.”
Read more: SG doctor says forcing doctors to work over 24 hours is ridiculous and requires urgent change
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