GOA : Junior resident doctors at GMC to be given hike in salary

Panaji: The government has taken a decision to hike the salaries of junior resident doctors, including the para clinical and pre clinical junior residents.

While the finance department has suggested with the doing away of 173 posts of junior residents, the Dean, Goa Medical College (GMC) has been authorised to appoint 350 junior residents in clinical, para clinical and pre-clinical, post graduate and post graduate diploma courses. These would also include non-teaching departments such as nephrology, neurology, urology, cardio thoracic surgery.

Junior residents during their post graduation are payed remunerations. The clinical section’s junior residents are paid a salary of Rs. 55,000, Rs 60,000 and Rs 65,000, in their 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd years respectively. The latest change being made is that the remuneration for the 1^st and second year is going to be increased to Rs 60,000 and Rs 62,500 respectively.

Clinical courses include- of medicine, surgery, ophthalmology whereas para clinical involves pathology, microbiology, pharmacology and forensic medicine. Pre-clinical courses on the other hand include anatomy, physiology and bio-chemistry.

Junior residency for para clinical and pre clinical courses fetches them a salary of Rs 25,000 rupees per pm for three years. The latest hike in the area is proposed to be Rs 60,000 pm for a three year residency.

Rs. 10,000 is the monthly stipend paid to MBBS students for their 1 year internship. The total number of students being a 150.

According to a finance officer very few join non clinical courses and an increased pay package is likely to encourage more to join the stream. Disparity in salaries being corrected being another way to encourage more.

There are 107 post-graduate seats. The sanctioned strength of junior residents is 173 posts, and 177 more posts are to be created.