24/05/2026
People often criticize doctors for being tired, frustrated, late, or emotionally drained, but very few ever stop to ask what happens behind the hospital doors. The reality is that many doctors in Pakistan work in conditions that push basic human limits every single day. We are expected to function continuously for 24–30 hours straight while handling emergencies, critical patients, life-and-death decisions, and nonstop pressure.
I recently completed a 30-hour duty where the only rest I got was from 4am to 6am. No proper lunch break, no tea break, no real sleep, and then expected to continue working as if exhaustion does not exist. And this is not just one hospital or one department — this is the routine for countless doctors across Pakistan. For many, even getting 2–4 hours of rest during a long call is considered “good enough.”
Doctors are humans before they are professionals. They feel hunger, exhaustion, stress, burnout, and emotional fatigue too. If we truly want better healthcare systems, we also need to talk about the inhuman working conditions healthcare workers silently endure every day. The other side of the story deserves to be heard as well.