Twitter
Advertisement

Stats show drastic variation in stipends of resident doctors across India

While in a government medical college of New Delhi, the pay of a third-year resident doctor is up to Rs67,350, in Rajasthan, it's a paltry Rs21,000. Third-year resident doctors in Maharashtra currently get up to Rs43,125 monthly stipend.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

The pay scale of resident doctors across India varies drastically, according to the figures available with the central government. Medical education being a state subject, the pay scale of first-, second- and third-year postgraduate students in medical colleges (ie resident doctors) is decided by individual states in the country.

While in a government medical college of New Delhi, the pay of a third-year resident doctor is up to Rs67,350, in Rajasthan, it's a paltry Rs21,000. Third-year resident doctors in Maharashtra currently get up to Rs43,125 monthly stipend.

In Maharashtra, one of the 10 demands of the 4,000 doctors, who are part of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), is to increase the stipend and make it on par with New Delhi's. "We need an increase in monthly stipend matching that of New Delhi. We are put on duty for 24 hours at a stretch. We need our shifts divided into eight- or twelve-hour ones," said Dr Sagar Mundada, central MARD president.

For the state government to revise stipends would mean spending an additional Rs240 crore to the exchequer, said Vinod Tawde, minister of medical education in the state.

In a press note earlier on Thursday, issued by the state medical education department, while displaying a comparison of stipends paid by states across India, it was stated that medical colleges in Chandigarh pay up to Rs17,000 a month to their PG students, while the stipend in Gujarat was up to Rs20,000. In Bihar, it said, PG doctors were paid Rs25,000, Chhattisgarh paid Rs23,000, while Madhya Pradesh up to Rs24,000.

Further investigation (see box) revealed that the above figures declared by the Directorate of Medical Education (DMER) in Maharashtra were erroneous. "We had made some errors in designing the press note, old figures were quoted. We have issued a clarification with correct figures," said Dr Pravin Shingare, director, DMER.

Dr Abhay Shukla, convenor of Jan Arogya Abhiyan said potentially increasing stipend of resident doctors is not feasible. "In Maharashtra, doctors who are full-time employees in the public health system, get close to Rs50,000 a month in starting positions. How can salaries of resident doctors be more than salaries of full-time doctors? A potential hike of stipends of student doctors would mean re-looking into salaries of full-time doctors as well. The burden on exchequer will be huge," he added.

Stipend of post-graduate doctors in various states in Rs.

State 1st year / 2nd year/ 3rd year

Delhi – Rs 63, 830 / Rs 65, 563 / Rs 67, 350

Manipur – Rs 57, 650/ Rs 59, 281/ Rs 60, 962

Jharkhand – Rs 48, 315/ Rs 49, 320/ Rs 50, 348

Maharashtra – Rs 42, 225 / Rs 42, 225 / Rs 43, 125

Assam – Rs 22,000/Rs 22,000/Rs 22,000

Bihar – Rs 43, 800 / Rs 43, 800 / Rs 43, 800

Chandigarh – Rs 42,000/Rs 42, 000/Rs 42,000

Chattisgarh – Rs 30,000/Rs 32,500/Rs 35,000

Gujarat – Rs 28,000/Rs 28, 700/Rs 29, 400

Madhya Pradesh – Rs 30000/31000/32000
 

 

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement