India’s medical community is silently paying the price of a dangerous culture — the “push through” mindset. As revealed by Knya Vitals, doctors in India live, on average, a decade less than the general population, with over 83% reporting emotional fatigue and 70% saying they don’t feel safe doing their jobs. These aren’t just numbers. They represent real lives, broken routines, and the hidden toll of pushing through exhaustion, fear, and endless shifts. The system demands resilience, but when resilience turns into neglect, it stops being strength and becomes survival.
This blog takes a closer look at how the “push through” culture is harming India’s doctors, why it continues, and what can be done to create a healthier, safer medical workforce.
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What Does “Push Through” Culture Mean in Medicine?
In most professions, tired employees can take breaks, request time off, or even switch careers. In medicine, the expectation is different: push through fatigue, push through hunger, push through grief, push through everything — because patients can’t wait.
This attitude often starts in medical college, where students endure sleepless nights, intense study schedules, and punishing exams. By the time they enter internships or residency, working 60–80 hours a week becomes normalized.
Over time, this culture conditions doctors to ignore their own health, emotions, and boundaries. What begins as a noble sacrifice gradually erodes well-being, leading to burnout, depression, and even shortened life expectancy, as Knya Vitals 2025 reports.
The Hidden Cost: A Shorter Lifespan
The “push through” culture isn’t just mentally exhausting; it’s physically deadly. According to Knya Vitals, doctors in India have a 10-year shorter lifespan than the general population. That’s not just coincidence — it’s the outcome of chronic sleep deprivation, skipped meals, emotional strain, and constant exposure to high-stress environments.
Think of it this way: while scrubs may protect a doctor’s clothing during long shifts, there’s nothing shielding their body and mind from the relentless stress. It’s a silent health crisis, one we rarely acknowledge because doctors are expected to keep going, no matter what.
Emotional Fatigue and Burnout
Emotional exhaustion is another major result of the “push through” mindset. The survey data highlights that 83% of doctors feel mentally or emotionally fatigued. When every day brings ethical dilemmas, life-or-death decisions, and administrative overload, the emotional weight becomes overwhelming.
Imagine being asked to compromise between doing what’s right and what’s possible, a reality many medicos confessed to in Knya Vitals. Over time, this pressure breaks down empathy and motivation, replacing them with regret and doubt. For younger doctors, especially in the 25–34 age group, burnout rates are the highest, proving that early years of medicine can feel like survival training instead of professional growth.
Safety Concerns: More Than Just Long Hours
One of the most alarming revelations in the Knya Vitals report is that 70% of doctors don’t feel safe at work. Safety concerns range from verbal abuse and physical assaults to institutional neglect, particularly in high-pressure government hospitals.
When you combine long hours with unsafe workplaces, it’s no longer just a professional challenge — it’s an attack on dignity. No matter how well a doctor is dressed in their lab coat, safety equipment, or professional attire, they cannot protect themselves from systemic risks unless deeper reforms are made.
The Gender Divide: Women Carry a Heavier Load
The report also highlights the struggles faced by women in medicine. 70% of women doctors report feeling unsafe, while 75% regret choosing medicine or have questioned their decision to continue.
Women doctors not only face the same long hours and burnout as men but also shoulder additional expectations — balancing family, societal pressures, and career. For many, the constant cycle of overwork makes the profession feel like a battle of endurance rather than a rewarding career.
Why the Culture Persists?
If “push through” culture is so damaging, why does it continue? The answer lies in tradition, systemic neglect, and misplaced admiration. Society often glorifies doctors for their sacrifices without questioning whether such sacrifices should even be necessary.
From interns in underscrubs working back-to-back shifts to senior consultants buried in paperwork, the message is clear: “If you can’t handle the pressure, you don’t belong here.” But that mindset ignores the reality that even the best-trained professionals cannot sustain peak performance without rest and support.
Consequences for Public Health
The harm isn’t limited to doctors themselves. Burnt-out, exhausted medicos affect the entire healthcare system. Mistakes increase, patient care suffers, and morale declines. As Knya Vitals points out, the biggest threat to healthcare isn’t technology like AI but the collapse of human energy within the system.
When doctors are forced to push through exhaustion, patients are indirectly placed at risk. In the long run, the community suffers just as much as the caregivers.
What Medicos Need: Relief, Not Just Innovation
Doctors aren’t asking for futuristic technology or shiny gadgets. As one Knya Vitals respondent put it: “We don’t need futuristic tech. We need enough hands on the floor and someone who’ll listen when we say we’re drowning.”
The top challenges reported include:
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58% administrative burden
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46% patient overload
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36% long working hours
What they need is basic: safer workplaces, better staffing, respect, and recognition. Even simple steps — like ensuring comfortable scrubs for men and women, breathable underscrubs for long shifts, and supportive workplace policies — can make a huge difference in reducing stress.
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Building a Culture of Care
Shifting away from “push through” culture requires a change in mindset at every level: medical institutions, government, and society. Policies must enforce maximum work hours, improve security at hospitals, and invest in mental health support for healthcare professionals.
Just as lab coats symbolize professionalism, the medical system should symbolize protection — not only for patients but also for those who care for them.
Conclusion
The “push through” culture in Indian medicine has gone too far. What was once seen as resilience has now become reckless endurance, costing doctors their health, safety, and years of life. The Knya Vitals report is a wake-up call: unless systemic changes are made, the very people we depend on for our health will continue to be silently broken by the system.
At Knya, the belief remains firm — every medico deserves to be seen, heard, and celebrated. From the scrubs they wear to the lab coats that represent their role, what truly matters is creating an environment where healthcare professionals can thrive, not just survive.