Understanding the reluctance of young Indian doctors to enter the government health sector: implications for policy actions

The Indian government health system faces numerous structural challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, a low patient-to-doctor ratio, high work pressure, and an unsafe work environment. This study investigates young Indian doctors’ perspectives on pursuing a career in government hospitals. It highlights key concerns in the government health sector and recommends urgent policy reforms. Using a mixed methodology, both exploratory and empirical analyses were conducted. Focus group discussions with senior and young doctors in government hospitals helped identify career perceptions of young Indian doctors, concerns about working conditions, and safety issues in the Indian government health sector. Subsequently, a sample size of 206 young doctors was chosen using a simple random sampling method. A semistructured questionnaire was developed to gather data, which included a hypothetical policy to elicit young doctors preferences for changes in the government health system. The data were analysed and interpreted using the tables and graphs representing descriptive statistics. The findings highlight the high social costs associated with the reluctance of young doctors to join the Indian government’s health sector. It is revealed that 42.7% of young doctors are inclined to migrate abroad for better career prospects. Additionally, concerns about unsafe working conditions outweigh salary considerations for many doctors. 93% of the respondents indicated that they would be willing to work in the government sector if the proposed policy changes were implemented. The major policy recommendations highlighted from this study are the enactment of a new law to safeguard the security of medical professionals, increasing the recruitment of doctors, and increasing the salary of doctors.