AMMAN — Using phrases such as “doctors not slaves”, medical residents in Jordan have been protesting poor working conditions and unpaid residency programmes for years, describing them as a form of “forced labour”.

After medical students complete five years of undergraduate studies and an internship year, they either become general practitioners, or pursue further training in a specialised field of medicine through residency programmes, which can last between four and six years.  

Every year, roughly 3,000 doctors compete for 1,000 residency slots offered by 10 hospitals, according to Tareq Al Khatib, a representative from “Hajartoona: The National Campaign for Defending the Rights of Resident Doctors”, which was launched in 2019.

“Around 35 per cent of these programmes are unpaid, as many take advantage of doctors’ need to specialise in order to further their careers. Some hospitals even require doctors to pay fees, which range from JD1,100 to JD2,580 per year, for a slot in their unpaid residency programme,” Khatib told The Jordan Times.

Residents at public hospitals earn a salary of around JD750, and sign contracts which follow standard labour laws, guaranteeing a social security scheme, health insurance, yearly vacations, sick leave, 45 hours of work per week and paid maternity leave.