Here’s why doctors of Telangana are fighting for government jobs

By K Shiva Shanker  |  Express News Service  |   Published: 30th October 2017 09:18 AM  |  

HYDERABAD: Shattering notions, the corporate healthcare sector is fast shedding its image of being a lucrative career option. This is based on the increasing trend of MBBS and MD graduates eyeing government jobs in TS. A whopping 5,569 doctors have applied for 286 vacancies in government hospitals across TS. This translates to about 20 doctors competing for one vacancy. The trend may continue in the recruitment for assistant professors, applications for which will end on November 15, say experts.

The trend is not without reason. Apart from the oft-cited job security that government postings offer, policymakers have also managed to make it glamourous by providing better salary packages compared to private peers. In fact, the salary difference is drastic. A medico with an MD and 10 years of experience is on an average offered around Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 in the private sector, say experts. This is equal to the salary of a rookie software developer. On the other hand, the same candidate earn up to Rs 93,270 working in a government hospital.

Doctors point out that situation is peculiar to TS, AP and Karnataka due to intense competition. They say that the average salary for an MBBS doctor in state around Rs 20,000. “In other states, people are ready to pay Rs1-2 lakh per month for post-graduate doctors,” said one doctor, who openly floated the possibility of ‘active private practice’ while holding a government job. Doctors’ associations have used the trend to claim there’s no unwillingness among them to serve in rural areas. However, critics claim it’s the lack of monitoring of attendance on daily basis that’s the perk. It allows them to pursue their interest while holding a well-paying government job.  

The Telangana State Public Service Commission is on a massive recruitment drive to fill posts of civil assistant surgeons (CAS) and dental assistant surgeon (DAS). They are also looking to hire tutors, lecturers and assistant professors for the Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad hospitals.“If one doctor is ready to perform a surgery at private hospitals for `10,000, another offers to perform it at Rs 5000. Competition is cut-throat and doctors are ready to work anywhere. While public think that we earn Rs 80,000 to `1 lakh, it takes at least five-years after post-graduation to earn that kind of money, which is around 15-years after we start MBBS course,” a doctor said. 

However, in private sector, doctors point out that though starting salaries are low, it can increase multi-fold depending on expertise and reputation. Private hospital staff said there are liver transplantation specialists who earn up to `18 lakhs per month. 

One of applicants to the government posts said that level of monitoring on a doctors attendance is low in Vaidya Vaidhana Parishad Hospitals. “Out of five days, doctors attend duties on two or three days. Infrastructure too is bad,” the applicant said. It is known to everybody that doctors keep their private practise active while holding government jobs. While talent flow to government sector seems to be a healthy phenomenon, it’s unlikely to benefit the poor and needy as the focus of many remains on the possiblity of private practice.