Himachal Pradesh approves 78% salary hike for contract medical specialists

The leader of a place called Himachal Pradesh in India decided to give doctors who are training to become specialists a very big pay raise.

Their monthly pay is going up by 78 per cent, from Rs 33,660 to Rs 60,000.

This is the second big raise in a few years, because their pay also went up by about 24 per cent in 2022.

The government hopes the higher pay will convince doctors to work in government hospitals, including in small towns and villages far from big cities.

Doctors who are still studying, called postgraduate students, also get more money now — Rs 50,000 in their first year, Rs 60,000 in their second year and Rs 65,000 in their third year.

Senior doctors got raises too: Senior Residents and Tutor Specialists now earn Rs 100,000 a month, and Super Specialists earn Rs 130,000.

The government is also planning to hire many more health workers, including 300 new Medical Officers.

The goal is for people to get good medical care close to their homes so they do not have to travel outside the state for treatment.