PG medical maternity rules leave women doctors paying the price

PG medical maternity rules leave women doctors paying the price Premium

A woman in her thirties from Tamil Nadu says she deferred marriage after completing her MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery), a 5.5-year programme, to pursue a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), a postgraduate speciality degree. To enter a specialised stream, she had to clear the NEET PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test–Postgraduate), a mandatory national-level entrance examination for postgraduate medical courses. However, she was unable to clear the exam on her first attempt. During this period, as she waited another year to reattempt the examination, she was advised by her parents to get married, with the assurance that she could clear NEET PG the following year. Her parents expressed concern that, at nearly 25 years of age, delaying marriage further might make it difficult for her to find a suitable match.

She got married. The following year, she cleared NEET PG and secured admission to a government medical college in Tamil Nadu for a three-year M.D. programme in general medicine as a non-service candidate. As per the State eligibility criteria, service candidates are those who, after clearing the Medical Recruitment Board (MRB) examination, join government service for around two years. However, within a year of joining the course, she says questions around her age and motherhood began to surface. “Family members raised concerns, citing health-related risks associated with pregnancy after the age of 30,” she added.

Eventually, unable to withstand the pressure but also willing to become a mother and grappling with concerns over age-related health complications, she agreed to it. Following her pregnancy, she had to take maternity leave midway through the second year of her postgraduate course. Due to the maternity leave, however, she had to extend her training period by a year, apply for re-admission after paying a “condonation fee” of around ₹5,000. She also had to appear for the examination with her juniors, and then compete with them for one-year senior resident doctor positions. Over this phase, she feels she lost the opportunity to progress alongside her batchmates, while competition intensified as the next batch entered the process.

Similar accounts have emerged from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Completing an MBBS itself takes 5.5 years, by which time many women are in their mid-20s. Entry into a specialised stream then requires clearing competitive examinations and completing a further four years of postgraduate course and training, pushing many close to the age of 30. As they work to pursue their professional aspirations amid growing competition and the increasing demand for specialised medical training, women postgraduate medical students say they are also vulnerable to parental and societal pressure. Amidst this, maternity leave policies for postgraduate doctors add further mental and financial strain.

According to the National Medical Commission (NMC), which notified the Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023 (PGMER-23), female postgraduate students are entitled to maternity leave, but it gives authority for the State governments to lay down their rules and regulations. It stipulates that the period of training must be extended by the number of days for which maternity leave is availed. The rules further state that a student must complete at least 80 per cent attendance—equivalent to 751 days—out of the total 939 working days, after deducting weekly off-days from the three-year course duration of 1,095 days.

While State governments set their own guidelines, the postgraduate doctors we spoke to from three States shed light on their experiences. Telangana provides up to 180 days (six months) of maternity leave and Andhra Pradesh up to 120 days (four months), as outlined in their government orders. While, Tamil Nadu's 2025–26 prospectus makes no explicit reference to maternity leave for medical students. Speaking on this, Dr. D. Sheeba, Deputy Director of Medical Education (Postgraduate), Tamil Nadu, said that for in-service candidates, maternity leave is permitted for up to one year, while for non-service candidates, there is no such time limit prescribed, and as that the period of training must be extended by the number of days for which maternity leave is availed.

However, in all three States, the relevant rules indicate that prolonged leave is treated as a “break in study”. In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the prospectuses state that any break of 91 days (three months) is considered a break in study. In Tamil Nadu, the Regulations for Re-admission After a Break in Study specify that any break exceeding 90 days (three months) is a break in study. In all three States, candidates are required to apply for rejoining the course after a “break in study” and pay a stipulated “condonation and rejoining fee”, with no specific exemption for maternity leave. This is also confirmed by students who paid the fees, as well as by officials from the health universities and the State medical education department.

As per the respective States regulations, Telangana charges a processing fee and a re-admission/break of study fee of ₹15,000. In Andhra Pradesh, the processing fee along with a re-admission/break of study fee of ₹7,000. In Tamil Nadu, the prescribed fees include a processing fee and a condonation fee of ₹5,100 per year.

A woman student pursuing postgraduate studies in a medical specialty in Telangana, who has been waiting for re-admission approval from the Telangana Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS), said that after completing six months of maternity leave, she was required to pay a “re-admission” or “break of study” fee of ₹15,000 to rejoin her college in the central part of the State. She also spoke about the financial strain she has faced. “It has been around eight months now. I used to receive about ₹60,000 as a stipend, but there is no pay during maternity leave. I had no savings and had to depend on my parents and in-laws to manage my expenses and to pay the fee required to rejoin the college,” she said.

She added that stipends resume only after rejoining the course and returning to service, leaving her burdened with debts accumulated during maternity leave. “Though we are technically not employees, we effectively perform the role of employees. Yet, because we are not formally classified as such, we do not receive benefits like wage protection or other entitlements under the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017,” she added.

Another postgraduate woman doctor said her maternity leave for over six months ended, and that she applied for re-admission soon after. However, she said the approval is still pending, as her college has told her that clearance must come from the KNRUHS. “For the past two months, I have been repeatedly contacting the university administration and am still waiting for approval. I have an eight-month-old baby at home, in a neighbouring State; despite this, I have travelled twice to the college and university, and returned with no answer to hear, she added. She said that during the course, postgraduate students are posted as junior residents in the college hospital and are required to work extended hours, often up to 80 hours a week, despite the Uniform Central Residency Scheme stipulating a 48-hour workweek. “I still had to endure the pain, despite my service,” she remarked.

We reached out to KNRUHS Academic Department by phone for an official response and sent queries related to the issues raised by the women doctors. However, we are yet to receive a response.

Another woman medico pursuing postgraduate studies in a medical specialty in Andhra Pradesh said maternity policies are discouraging. “For me, it is a dilemma whether to opt for motherhood now or wait until I complete my postgraduate course and one year as a senior resident doctor, which together will take four years,” she said. “I am aware of the health complications associated with pregnancy after the age of 30, especially as a doctor. I am already in my thirties and have been married for a couple of years,” she added.

“But I had to choose one,” she said, explaining the professional consequences. Opting for motherhood and availing maternity leave of up to 120 days would require her to extend her course by nearly four months. “While my colleagues may be eligible to appear for the examination if they meet the 80 per cent attendance requirement and move on to senior resident doctor positions and chooses better ones my situation will be different,” she added.

She explained that if she meets the 80 per cent attendance requirement after a break in study, she can appear for the examination with her batchmates. However, she would not be eligible to join as a senior resident doctor until she completes the extended course period due to the maternity leave she opted for. During this two to three-month window, examinations, counselling for senior resident doctor positions, and fellowship openings are conducted. As a result, she may be able to attend interviews but remain ineligible to join. If she does not have sufficient attendance, she said she would have to wait for the next batch and write the examination with her juniors, where competition becomes even tougher.

Further, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), a group of autonomous public medical institutes established by an Act of Parliament, allows six months of paid maternity leave, as per its prospectuses. “At AIIMS, maternity leave of six months is paid, so we do not face issues of financial insecurity during maternity leave. However, the extension of the course period remains a concern, though it is a choice, whether to take a break or not,” said a woman doctor at AIIMS. “That said, this is a larger societal issue. Women, especially mothers, continue to bear the primary responsibility of caregiving even after breastfeeding. Something echoed by women postgraduate doctors in other Central institutions as well is that when we request leave for reasons such as a sick child at home, our requests are often delayed, denied, or not taken seriously.”

(The women PG Doctors we spoke to work as junior residents and senior residents in their respective States and central institutions requested anonymity while sharing their experiences and concerns.)

(This is written by Bhaskar Basava, an independent journalist based in Hyderabad, covering politics, human rights, and environmental issues, primarily from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He is now expanding his work to include education across all States.)

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Published - December 22, 2025 04:31 pm IST

education / higher education / medical education / medical specialisation / medical colleges / students

Source: TheHindu
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