A Hyderabad doctor revealed that he received a salary of Rs 9,000 even after finishing his MBBS approximately 16 years ago. Dr Sudhir Kumar, a neurologist at Apollo Hospitals, was discussing on Twitter how he learned to live with only what was necessary after learning that a "doctor's life should be frugal."
The neurologist took to the microblogging site and said, "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."
He was replying to a tweet which said that it is difficult for "a young practitioner to do social service when he is struggling to make ends meet himself".
In another tweet, he mentioned how his mother felt about his low salary. "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!" Dr Kumar added.
He also said that nobody could come to see him for a long time when he was studying. "At 17 yrs age, travelled by train to Vellore (Tamil Nadu) from Bihar in 2nd class alone for interviews (as parents couldn't financially afford to accompany their minor son). No one from home could come to see me for 5 yrs. Took admission & managed everything on my own for 5 yrs+," he said.
Further explaining his condition, Dr Kumar, in another tweet added, "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."
Since being shared, the post has amassed 70,000 views. Several users have pointed out that the medical sector is poorly paid.
"That was indeed very low. PhD students used to get a stipend of Rs. 8000 per month (tax-free) at that time!" said a user.
A third person added, "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."
"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," remarked another person.