Picture this: A young doctor, in his or her early 20s, screening scores of patients every day, suturing and stitching up wounds for 18-20 hours at a go and surviving on less than 4 hours of sleep. Only to be beaten up by an unhappy patient’s relatives.

Once revered as a noble profession, doctors today are subject to abuse, slapped and downright disrespected at their place of work, even in urban Bengaluru. The Quint spoke to several junior doctors and interns to understand their woes and what can be done to make govt hospitals safer.