Chandigarh Health Department Increases Salaries by Up to 60% to Fill Vacancies

In a bid to address the ongoing shortage of medical officers and specialists in its health facilities, the Chandigarh health department has announced a significant pay hike for vacant positions. The move comes after repeated attempts to recruit medical professionals failed due to relatively lower salaries compared to other states.

Struggles in Recruiting Medical Staff

For the past year, the health department has been advertising vacancies under the National Health Mission (NHM) to fill 18 medical officer and 14 specialist posts at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, and civil hospitals in Sectors 22, 45, and Manimajra. However, despite multiple advertisements, the response remained poor, forcing authorities to revise the salary structure to make the positions more attractive.

Significant Pay Hike Announced

To improve recruitment, UT Health Services Director Dr. Suman Singh announced a salary revision on January 23, 2025, aligning pay scales with those in other states. The revised salaries, which bring Chandigarh’s pay scale closer to those in other states, include:

• Medical Officers – ₹72,072 (up from ₹45,000) – a sixty percent increase

• Gynecologists – ₹1 lakh (up from ₹75,000) – a thirty three percent increase

• Radiologists – ₹1.5 lakh (up from ₹1 lakh) – a fifty percent increase

• Microbiologists, Epidemiologists, and Anesthetists – ₹85,000 (up from ₹75,000) – a thirteen percent increase

Contract-Based Recruitment and Interview Schedule

The recruitment will be on a contract basis for one year, until March 1, 2026. The contract can be extended based on performance, conduct, or project duration. Walk-in interviews have been scheduled as follows:

• Medical Officers: February 5, 2025

• Specialists: February 7, 2025

Once hired, professionals will be deployed to different hospitals based on requirements.

A Step Towards Strengthening Chandigarh’s Healthcare

The Chandigarh health department hopes that the salary hike will attract more qualified professionals and help improve healthcare services in the city. While contract-based recruitment may still be a deterrent for some, the significant increase in pay could make these positions more appealing.

With growing healthcare demands, authorities are now keen to see if these improved incentives will be enough to fill the long-standing vacancies.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Dr. Sreelekshmi P/MSM)