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In India, the salary disparity between doctors and IT professionals is stark. A cardiologist with a decade of experience earns around ₹15–20 LPA, while an IT architect with similar experience can command up to ₹40–60 LPA. This pay gap, rooted in systemic and structural differences, raises questions about career trajectories, fairness, and societal priorities.
Taking insights from a MedBound Hub discussion titled “Why Are Healthcare Professionals Paid Less at the Start Compared to IT Geeks?”, it becomes clear that the doctor-IT salary gap is influenced by factors ranging from scalability and industry margins to cultural expectations and career timelines.
This article examines seven key reasons behind this disparity, backed by expert opinions and real-world data, providing a comprehensive view of the challenges healthcare professionals in India face.
IT Professionals: Can develop software and products that scale globally, generating revenue from millions with minimal extra effort. A single application can serve countless users.
Doctors: Provide individualized care, limited by time and physical presence. Their work, while critical, cannot scale like digital products.
It is true as Moses Daniel Medidi an M. Pharm graduate puts in a discussion on MedBound Hub that:
IT professionals quickly contribute to revenue-driven projects, while healthcare professionals spend years in supervised practice before independence.
Moses Daniel Medidi, M. Pharm graduate
IT: Salaries are driven by global demand, with perks like stock options and bonuses. The free-market nature allows higher earnings.
Healthcare: Government price controls and insurance caps restrict doctors’ earnings, especially in public and semi-private sectors.
IT Companies: Operate at 20–40% margins due to low overheads and scalable revenue models.
Hospitals: Face 5–15% margins due to high fixed costs (equipment, staff, compliance), limiting salary budgets.
Doctors: Require 8–11 years of education (MBBS + MD/DM), costing ₹30 lakh–1.7 crore. Earnings stabilize in their 30s.
IT Professionals: Complete a 4-year degree (₹5–15 lakh) and start earning by 21–22, accumulating wealth earlier.
Doctors often endure emergency work, dayshifts, night shifts, weekend calls, and life-and-death responsibilities.
IT jobs generally offer regular hours, remote options, and lower physical and emotional stress, allowing faster career growth.
It holds true as Dr. Munish Kumar Raizada, MD, FAAP, Practicing board certified Neonatologist for 22 years in USA said in a discussion took place in MedBound Hub:
The kind of emergency work we do—dayshifts, night shifts, weekend calls, and dealing with life-threatening situations—versus Monday-to-Friday 9-to-5 jobs IT professionals do, and that too WFH—then one realizes how medicos are at the receiving end.
Dr. Munish Kumar Raizada, MD, FAAP
Doctors: Society views doctors as a “noble profession,” pressuring them to prioritize service over pay. Asking for fair compensation is often stigmatized.
IT Professionals: IT professionals face no such cultural restrictions, enabling salary negotiation and career mobility.
Dr. Theresa Lily Thomas, BDS puts it precisely in the discussion that:
In health sector, all the hard work is hailed as saintly and on par with the service minded profession we chose. So recognition is provided in words, but not in money.
Dr. Theresa Lily Thomas, BDS
Resident doctors often work 80–100 hours per week for ₹50,000–80,000/month (₹125–200/hour), below minimum wage standards.
In contrast, IT professionals typically work 40–45 hours/week, with overtime compensation, bonuses, and equity incentives.
This article has insights from MedBound Hub. For more such content visit MedBound Hub.
MSM
