Though being pulled up repeatedly in the Assembly over the disparity in salaries paid to doctors, Minister for Health and Family Welfare U.T. Khader said he did not get any “chance” in the Assembly to clarify on the issue.
At the Belagavi winter session, speaker Kagodu Thimappa and other legislators took the minister to task for shortage of doctors and meagre salaries being paid to them.
Mr. Khader told reporters here on Sunday that the varying salary structures as decided in 2007 and 2012 had led to the disparity.
The fifth pay commission resulted in the salary of doctors being fixed, in 2007, at Rs. 28,000 per month, which included Rs. 13,950 as basic pay along with dearness allowance and house rent allowance. However in 2012, the 6th pay commission came into effect wherein the basic pay remained Rs. 13,950, while the dearness allowance was excluded. This led some district health officers follow the 2012 order, while others went by 2007 orders, said Mr. Khader.
The Minister said, the department was reworking the salary structure, and have now proposed a hike in dearness allowance of 125.5 per cent. This way, the salaries would increase to Rs. 31,000, said Mr. Khader. The proposal was now pending for approval in the finance department.
Meanwhile, the department has also proposed to increase the salaries of doctors working in Taluka hospital and health centres in rural areas, he said.