New Delhi: The recent tweet by a Hyderabad-based Neurologist at Apollo Hospitals has gone viral after he claimed that he received a monthly salary of Rs 9,000 even after finishing his MBBS approximately around 16 years ago.
Dr. Sudhir Kumar revealed the information while participating in a discussion on Twitter about the Right to Health Bill and how public, politicians & judiciary feel that all medical practice is doing free charity.
Mentioning that RTH is one step towards that direction, the doctor further mentioned, “So, we can demand better pay for doctors, but it is unlikely to materialize. Treat medical practice as social service to feel good.”
However, while responding to this Tweet, one user pointed out it is not easy for a young practitioner to do social service when he is struggling to make ends meet himself.
Agreeing with the use, Dr. Kumar revealed in a Tweet how he used to get a monthly salary of Rs 9,000 after completing his MBBS around 16 years ago. He mentioned in a Tweet, “Agree with you. I was also a young practitioner 20 yrs back. My salary 4 yrs after DM Neurology (2004) was Rs 9000/month. This was 16 yrs after joining MBBS. At CMC Vellore, by observing my professors, I realized that doctor’s life should be frugal & learnt to live with bare minimum.”
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When a Twitter user pointed out that the salary is alright considering that it was 19 years ago, Dr. Kumar revealed how his mother felt about the salary. He mentioned, “I was happy with that salary, however, my mother felt upset seeing me get the same salary what a peon got in govt office (where my father worked). She had seen me study hard for 12 years in schooling, followed by 12 years of MBBS, MD & DM. You can understand a mother’s love & pain!”
Further revealing his condition, he mentioned in a Tweet, “Had only two sets of clothing at any point of time during MBBS. Borrowed older edition books from seniors (could access new edition only in library). Didn’t dine out in restaurants or watched movies. Never smoked or drank alcohol.”
Responding to the Tweet of the Neurologist, one user asked why he worked on such a low salary. “I enjoyed working at CMC Vellore. Patients travelled all the way from Bengal, Bihar & North East to get better treatment at Vellore and it was satisfying to take care of them,” mentioned Dr. Kumar in reply to the Tweet.
After being posted, the tweet of Dr. Kumar has amassed 74.8 k views. Replying to the Tweet, several Twitter user referred to the fact how medical sector is poorly paid.
“That was indeed very low. PhD students used to get a stipend of ₹ 8000 per month (tax-free) at that time!” stated a Twitter user.
“Looking at the inflation it’s not easier to survive at low salary in today’s world especially when you have a family to take care of,” mentioned another user.
In another Tweet, a user pointed out, “It’s true. Doctors in India are not getting suitable salaries. But health care seekers are looted by hospital management. Neither Dr benefits nor patient benefits.”
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