CHENNAI: Many studies have been conducted to determine the cause-and-effect of long working hours especially among doctors. Chief among them was a study published in May 2021 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), which revealed that long working hours lead to heart disease and stroke, thereby resulting in fatalities.
In a first global analysis of the loss of life and health associated with working long hours, the study revealed 7.45 lakh deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016 – a 29% increase since 2000.
This work-related disease burden was particularly more in men (72% deaths occurred among males). Most deaths recorded were among people who had worked for 55 hours or more per week.
It also concluded that working 55 or more hours per week was associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week.