TN revises minimum wages for Duty Medical Officers at private hospitals, draws criticism

Also read- Rs 40,000 for Medical Officer Post: Doctor slams TN Govt over low pay scale

However, the revised pay structure has drawn criticism from medical associations, who say the wages are too low given the workload and responsibilities doctors carry, reports TNIE. 

Dr G R Ravindranath, general secretary of the Government Doctors Association for Social Equality (DASE), questioned the logic behind the rates. He asked, "How was it fair to set the minimum wage for a doctor at Rs 16,876 even in a hospital with over 1,000 beds?"

Similarly, Dr S Karthick Prabhu, state secretary, Indian Medical Association (IMA), said the revised wages were not much higher than what they were getting earlier. “With DA it will come to around Rs 21,000,” he said.

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that the Gujarat government has increased the honorarium for private visiting specialists and super-specialist doctors serving at the district hospitals, sub-district hospitals and community health centres under the Chief Minister’s Setu Scheme. As per the new revised pay scale, visiting doctors across various categories will now receive higher daily or monthly payments for their services in government hospitals.

Also read- Gujarat Hikes Honorarium: Rs 4,200 for Visiting Specialists, Rs 8,500 for Super-Specialists