A pharmacist's account of a hospital job interview has gone viral after she claimed she was offered a monthly salary of ₹12,000 to ₹14,000, despite learning that a cleaner at the same hospital reportedly earned ₹16,000 per month. The video has sparked widespread debate on social media about pay scales for qualified healthcare professionals in India.
In the viral Instagram video, the woman, identified as Asha, said she visited a hospital to interview for a pharmacist vacancy. Before meeting the human resources (HR) team, she struck up a conversation with a woman cleaning the hospital floors and asked about her salary.
According to Asha, the cleaner told her she earned ₹16,000 a month. Hearing this, Asha said she assumed a pharmacist's salary would be at least ₹18,000 to ₹20,000, considering the educational qualifications and responsibilities associated with the role.
During the interview, the HR representative asked Asha whether she had previous experience working as a pharmacist.
She replied that although she was a fresher in pharmacy, she had four years of experience in the healthcare sector.
According to Asha, the HR executive then explained that the hospital generally did not hire freshers. However, if it did, the starting salary would range between ₹12,000 and ₹14,000 per month for a 10-hour workday.
"Based on your work, we will decide. Either it will be ₹12,000, ₹13,000 or ₹14,000. Actually, we don't take freshers. But yes, if we take freshers, our basic salary will be ₹12,000-₹14,000," Asha quoted the HR representative as saying in the video.
Asha said the offer left her "completely shocked," adding that she laughed in disbelief after hearing the proposed salary.
The video quickly spread across social media, prompting discussions about salary structures for pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.
Many users said the issue was not that hospital cleaners were being paid fairly, but that qualified pharmacists often receive salaries they consider disproportionately low despite completing professional education and training.
drpradeeprathod commented " My first salary during after MBBS was 13.5k"
dr_sushmita-devadiga_ posted a similar comment " My first salary was 7.5k and I am a doctor.
vyasa.akondi commneted that her first salary as an M.Pharm graduate was 7k in a prestigious hospital in Hyderabad.
Several healthcare professionals also shared similar experiences, saying they had received comparable salary offers early in their careers, while others noted that pay varies depending on the employer, city, and level of experience.
(Rh/ARC/MSM)