THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid a wave of strikes by nurses demanding a basic salary of Rs 40,000, junior doctors earning less are voicing their own frustrations at stagnant pay and weakening bargaining power. For several ‘junior doctors’ working in casualty as resident medical officers, even a basic pay of Rs 1,300 a day looks attractive.
Crushed under educational loans that can exceed Rs 50 lakh, many say their labour is being exploited while hospitals continue to profit. Several remain stuck with the ‘junior doctor’ designation for years, chasing better pay while enduring relentless work hours.
Medical associations say the gap between qualifications and earnings has become increasingly stark. According to Dr Ashik Basheer, state president of the General Practitioners Association (GPA), the average pay for a junior doctor is around Rs 40,000, though some earn far less. “While nurses are demanding Rs 1,300 a day, a just demand, the reality is there are doctors who earn less than that,” he said.
Salaries of Rs 20,000 , Rs 25,000 for MBBS doctors are not uncommon, particularly in major cities such as Thiruvananthapuram. “Hospitals recruit newly qualified doctors who are preparing for their post-graduation at very low salaries. This drags down the pay of the entire profession,” he added.
Basheer said doctors lack bargaining power and legal protections available to other workers. “Doctors do not come under the labour category, so we do not get that protection. The professional classification becomes a double-edged sword,” he explained. With the cost of medical education—often close to Rs 1 crore— the low salaries are untenable. Many young doctors are keen to enter government service, where the basic pay is Rs 56,200, but opportunities are shrinking and competition is fierce.
It is an open secret that many MBBS graduates attempt post-graduation to shed the “junior doctor” tag and earn better salaries. However, even salaries for PG doctors, once Rs 1.25 lakh, have dropped to Rs 75,000, leaving many burdened well into their mid-30s.
Hospital management representatives argue that financial pressures within the healthcare sector have limited their ability to raise salaries significantly. Dr E K Ramachandran, state treasurer of the Kerala Private Hospital Association (KPHA), said, “An RMO gets Rs 38,000-Rs 50,000, while experienced doctors earn more depending on the cases they handle. Only super-speciality hospitals have better margins. Smaller hospitals struggle, especially after government insurance schemes reduced package rates.”
With over 1.15 lakh doctors registered in Kerala and 6,000 passing out each year, oversupply has further dragged down wages. While nurses have mobilized large-scale protests, junior doctors admit they cannot match that scale of collective action. For now, their grievances remain largely confined to discussions within associations, leaving the question of fair pay for doctors unresolved even as the healthcare system leans heavily on their labour.
No bargaining power, legal protection
Salaries of J20,000-J25,000 for MBBS doctors are not uncommon, particularly in major cities such as Thiruvananthapuram. Dr Ashik Basheer, state president of the General Practitioners Association says doctors lack bargaining power and legal protections