In a follow-up to mounting concerns from resident doctors working in civic-run hospitals, representatives of the Maharashtra State Resident Doctors’ Association (MSRDA) and the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) met Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray yesterday, July 15
The delegation reiterated their long-standing demand for proper stipend enforcement for Senior Resident Doctors and raised additional concerns, including staff shortages across the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) hospitals.
“We met him regarding the issues related to stipends for senior doctors in several BMC-run hospitals. They are paid approximately Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 less than what they are expected to be paid as per the revised remuneration,” said Dr Abhijit Helge, President of MSRDA, who was part of the delegation.
“Most of them, while they are supposed to get a stipend of approximately Rs 90,000, do not get over Rs 65,000 to Rs 66,000. If there was a discrepancy of Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 across the state, it wouldn’t have been a huge issue. But a discrepancy of Rs 30,000 across all government hospitals is really concerning,” he added, speaking to Edexlive.
Dr Helge also noted that this issue is not new and has been raised with multiple authorities in the past.
“This time, we approached Aaditya Thackeray, who took these concerns positively and said that he will try to take it up in the state assembly, which will be ending in two more days,” he shared.
Also present at the meeting were FAIMA National President Dr Akshay Dongardive, MSRDA Secretary Dr Sarbik De, and Dr Srinivas G.
In February 2024, resident doctors across Maharashtra went on strike demanding revised stipend structures, improved hostel facilities, and timely disbursement of salaries.
The state government responded by approving a Rs 10,000 hike in stipends and promised infrastructural upgrades. While this led to a temporary resolution, doctors in BMC hospitals allege that the revised stipends have still not been fully implemented, particularly in peripheral hospitals.
Hospitals such as MW Desai (Malad), MT Agarwal (Mulund), and KB Bhabha (Bandra) have been repeatedly flagged in complaints about underpayment.
Doctors say that even after the revised scale was approved, many senior residents in BMC hospitals continue to receive only Rs 63,000 to Rs 66,000 per month.
The gap becomes even more evident when compared to doctors working in state-run DMER (Directorate of Medical Education and Research) hospitals, where senior residents reportedly receive the full stipend amount of around Rs 90,000.
In addition to the stipend issue, the delegation also highlighted the large number of vacant posts in BMC hospitals, which they say is placing an increasing burden on the existing workforce.
Several departments are reportedly understaffed, affecting not only patient care but also the work-life balance of the current medical staff.
It’s not just resident doctors who are facing challenges. There are currently only around 250 permanent assistant professor positions filled across four medical colleges and one dental college under the BMC, leaving over 550 posts vacant.
Contractual assistant professors, who handle essential tasks such as OPD duties and teaching MBBS and MD students, are reportedly paid the same as, or even less than, senior resident doctors. Unlike their counterparts in state-run institutions, these faculty members do not receive benefits such as dearness allowance, pension, maternity or paternity leave, or opportunities for promotion.“The state doctors, they are the backbones of the state. If these demands are not taken positively by the administration, they will have to, unfortunately, resort to a strike,” Dr Helge warned.
