A cardiologist from Bengaluru has spoken out against the low salary that MBBS doctors receive while being expected to take care of patients for free and beyond working hours. Dr Deepak Krishnamurthy, senior interventional cardiologist at Sakra World Hospital, said that the starting salary for most doctors is about Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 while engineers earn Rs 15-20 lakh per annum. But, people expect doctors to save lives and not care about the money while celebrating the high salaries that engineers earn.
"The starting salary after MBBS is as low as Rs 10-20K per month. Nowhere to the tune of 15-20lakh per annum being spoken here for post Btech!
How does this society feel so comfortable advising a life-saving doctor to live for ideals and not look for money, while gloating at engineer salaries?" Dr Krishnamurthy tweeted with an article announcing that a Bengaluru college has been charging Rs 64 lakh as fees for a seat in computer science engineering.
"People act like doctors could take those ideals to a grocery shop and encash them. Or that a doctor could pay kids' fees with blessings. Like the whole world needs food and clothes and stuff but the doctor doesn't need them!" Dr Krishnamurthy wrote adding that often he had also had to face patients on weekends because they did not have the time to consult a doctor during weekends.
"Every industry can make unlimited profits including killer cigarette and alcohol manufacturers but not doctors and hospitals! Someone writing some inconsequential code is entitled to make more money and fly business class while the doctors have no such right whatsoever," he added.
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The cardiologist from Bengaluru also said that people understand what doctors go through only when their own kids take up medicine. "Ninty nine percent of people do not understand or even try to do so."
"This society will only become great when they understand the importance of doctors, health care workers, teachers, and armed forces. And pay them what they are due without cribbing," Dr Krishnamurthy said.
The Bengaluru doctor's outburst comes days after a neurologist from Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad also pointed out in a viral tweet that he used to receive a salary of Rs 9,000 even about 10 years after completing his MBBS.
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