Mumbai, Oct. 20 -- Resident doctors across Maharashtra are grappling with faculty shortage, poor academic supervision, increasing workload and lack of adequate infrastructure, according to a recent survey conducted by the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA). Though overburdened, resident doctors do not have access to any grievance redressal mechanism or mental health support systems. On the contrary, they are forced to manage rising patient loads with minimal supervision and limited academic support, in violation of guidelines issued by the National Medical Council (NMC), the Central Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has said in a statement based on findings of the survey. "In Maharashtra, new medical colleges have been set up in almost every district. But students are being accommodated within district hospitals as most of these new colleges don't even have dedicated buildings or hostels yet," Swapnil Kendre, general secretary of FAIMA and Central MARD, told Hindustan Times. "Moreover, there is a severe shortage of full-time teachers and many faculty members are taken on deputation from other colleges." The survey found poor infrastructure directly affected the quality of medical education for 89% respondents across the country, whereas more than 40% described their work environment as 'toxic'. Nearly 71.5% respondents said they lacked regular academic teaching sessions, while only 44.1% reported functional laboratory and equipment facilities. "The findings call for immediate intervention by the ministry of health and family welfare and the NMC," said Akshay Dongardive, president, FAIMA. In Maharashtra, there are nearly 80 medical colleges, including 35 government-run institutions. Around 15% of the more than 2,000 respondents for the survey were from the state, said sources in FAIMA. The situation of resident doctors in the state is especially dire in newly established colleges in districts like Nashik and Jalgaon, a member of FAIMA told HT, requesting anonymity. "Workload and stress levels have increased while infrastructure remains poor, with cramped wards and makeshift side rooms. Moreover, very few guides are available and there is little proper supervision," the member said. On Thursday, the Central MARD issued a statement based on findings of the survey, highlighting major lapses across government medical colleges in the state. Kendre said MARD will soon meet with the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) to present the findings and seek solutions. DMER officials did not respond to calls and messages from HT....