NEET-PG Doctors Leaving AIIMS, JIPMER: Why Residents Quit Despite Competitive Ranks

Postgraduate doctors who have secured highly competitive NEET-PG ranks and joined residency programmes at India's premier medical institutions—including AIIMS and JIPMER—are stepping away from their positions. Data obtained through Right to Information requests reveal that departures are occurring across multiple specialities and AIIMS campuses, driven by concerns over prolonged working hours, inadequate institutional support, and workplace harassment. While the number of resignations has declined slightly at some institutions compared to 2024, the trend continues to raise serious questions about the working environment during postgraduate medical training. For an MBBS doctor preparing for or pursuing NEET-PG, understanding these conditions is essential to making an informed choice about where to train.

How Many NEET-PG Residents Are Leaving AIIMS and JIPMER?

According to Right to Information data, AIIMS Delhi recorded 34 junior resident departures in 2025, a decline from 60 in 2024. However, the number of new joiners also fell during the same period, from 324 in 2024 to 267 in 2025. This suggests that while fewer residents are leaving, fewer are also choosing to join—a pattern worth monitoring if you are considering AIIMS Delhi for your postgraduate training.

JIPMER, Puducherry, reported 44 resignations across its January and July batches in 2025, compared with 60 in 2024—a reduction of approximately 27%. Despite this decline, resignations continued across multiple specialities including anaesthesiology, emergency medicine, orthopaedics, pathology and surgery. The fact that departures persist across diverse branches suggests the issue is not limited to one speciality or department.

Which Specialities Have the Highest Resignation Rates?

At AIIMS Delhi, anaesthesiology recorded the highest number of departures, with seven junior residents leaving the programme in 2025. Ophthalmology followed with six exits, while surgery and pathology each reported three departures. Notably, ophthalmology had recorded 14 resident departures in 2024, indicating a significant decline in exits from that department in 2025.

The variation in resignation rates across specialities suggests that working conditions, mentorship quality, or career prospects may differ substantially between departments. If you are considering a particular speciality, it may be worth investigating the specific departmental culture and resident satisfaction at your chosen institution before committing to a rank.

Resignations Across Multiple AIIMS Campuses and Institutions

The problem is not confined to AIIMS Delhi and JIPMER. Right to Information responses reveal postgraduate and super-speciality residents leaving other AIIMS campuses across India. AIIMS Kalyani reported 15 departures across all three years of postgraduate training in 2025, including 13 from the January and July batches, with an additional 11 students from the 2026 batches having left by the time the RTI response was filed.

AIIMS Raipur recorded 19 departures from its 2025 batches, AIIMS Patna reported 12 exits, and AIIMS Rishikesh saw as many as 30 students enrolled in different postgraduate and super-speciality programmes leave in 2025. AIIMS Gorakhpur also confirmed departures among its postgraduate residents. This widespread pattern across multiple campuses and specialities indicates that the issue is systemic rather than isolated to a single institution or department.

• AIIMS Kalyani: 15 departures in 2025 (13 from Jan/July batches; 11 from 2026 batches)
• AIIMS Raipur: 19 departures from 2025 batches
• AIIMS Patna: 12 exits reported
• AIIMS Rishikesh: 30 departures across postgraduate and super-speciality programmes
• AIIMS Gorakhpur: Departures confirmed among postgraduate residents

Why Are NEET-PG Residents Leaving? The Core Issues

The United Doctors Front, a collective representing postgraduate doctors, has highlighted three primary concerns: prolonged working hours (including 36-hour duties), workplace harassment, and toxic institutional culture. Dr Lakshya Mittal, chairperson of the United Doctors Front, noted that Right to Information applications revealed a pattern of doctors leaving prestigious institutions despite securing highly competitive NEET-PG ranks—suggesting that the prestige of the institution is not enough to retain residents facing poor working conditions.

The organisation has called for regulation of working hours, independent grievance-redressal mechanisms, and greater accountability from medical institutions. Notably, the United Doctors Front has also filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court seeking intervention in the matter. This escalation indicates that the concerns are serious enough to warrant legal action and suggests that institutional responses to date have been insufficient.

• Prolonged working hours, including 36-hour continuous duties
• Workplace harassment and bullying
• Toxic institutional culture and poor mentorship
• Inadequate grievance-redressal mechanisms
• Insufficient institutional support for resident well-being

Mental Health and Psychiatric Support: A Critical Gap

Right to Information applications filed by United Doctors Front members sought data on psychiatric counselling facilities and the number of postgraduate doctors seeking mental health support. The objective was to examine whether stress, depression, sleep deprivation, or other workplace-related concerns could be contributing to resident departures. However, the responses from institutions revealed significant gaps in data collection and support infrastructure.

AIIMS Delhi stated that it did not maintain compiled data on psychiatric counselling provided to residents. AIIMS Rishikesh reported that six postgraduate students had received psychiatric counselling in 2026 but did not maintain a consolidated record of workplace-related stress among residents. AIIMS Raipur reported that no residents had sought psychiatric counselling in 2025 or 2026. The absence of comprehensive institutional records makes it impossible to establish the true extent of psychological distress among postgraduate doctors or determine how many resignations are directly linked to mental health concerns.

• AIIMS Delhi: No compiled data on psychiatric counselling for residents
• AIIMS Rishikesh: 6 residents received counselling in 2026; no consolidated stress records
• AIIMS Raipur: Zero residents sought psychiatric counselling in 2025–2026
• Institutions lack systematic mental health monitoring for postgraduate doctors
• No clear link established between mental health support and resident retention

What This Means for Your NEET-PG Rank and College Choice

If you have secured a competitive NEET-PG rank, you face a critical decision: which institution and speciality will offer you the best training environment, career prospects, and quality of life during your residency? The data presented here suggests that securing admission to a prestigious institution does not guarantee a supportive or healthy working environment. Before accepting a rank at any college, it is worth investigating the specific departmental culture, resident feedback, and institutional policies on working hours and grievance redressal.

Consider reaching out to current or recent residents at your target institution and department. Ask about typical duty hours, on-call schedules, mentorship quality, and whether the institution has formal mechanisms for addressing harassment or burnout. Some residents may be willing to share their experiences candidly, especially if you approach them through alumni networks or social media groups dedicated to NEET-PG aspirants.

Institutional Accountability and Regulatory Gaps

The fact that Right to Information requests were necessary to uncover resignation data suggests that institutions are not proactively publishing or addressing resident departures. While the decline in resignations at AIIMS Delhi and JIPMER from 2024 to 2025 may indicate some improvement, the continuing exits across institutions point to concerns that warrant closer examination and systemic reform.

The absence of standardised data on psychiatric counselling, workplace stress, and grievance redressal across institutions indicates a regulatory gap. Medical education bodies and hospital administrations must establish mandatory reporting of resident departures, reasons for resignation, and mental health support utilisation. Without such transparency, it is difficult for prospective residents to make informed choices, and institutions have little incentive to improve working conditions.

What Should You Do Before Accepting a NEET-PG Rank?

Residency is a crucial phase of your professional training as a doctor. It is the period during which you develop clinical skills, build your professional network, and lay the foundation for your career. However, it is also a period of intense pressure, long hours, and significant personal sacrifice. Ensuring that your residency provides adequate clinical exposure without compromising your physical and mental well-being is not just your responsibility—it is an institutional responsibility.

Before accepting a rank, research the institution thoroughly. Look for published data on resident satisfaction, duty hour compliance, and grievance-redressal outcomes. If such data is not publicly available, request it through Right to Information applications or ask the institution directly. Connect with residents and alumni. Understand the departmental culture and mentorship model. Ask about support systems for mental health, work-life balance, and career guidance. Your choice of institution and speciality will shape not only your clinical training but also your long-term career satisfaction and well-being.

Frequently asked questions

As you prepare for or pursue NEET-PG, remember that your choice of institution and speciality will shape not only your clinical training but also your long-term career satisfaction and well-being. Investigate working conditions thoroughly before accepting a rank, connect with residents and alumni, and prioritise institutions that demonstrate genuine commitment to resident support and accountability. Your residency is a critical investment in your future—choose wisely.