Committee recommends Tk 30,000 salary floor with bonuses for new doctors

The proposal sets a Tk 30,000 minimum salary while adding annual increments and three festival bonuses.

A government-appointed committee has proposed a standard minimum salary of Tk 30,000 a month for newly recruited doctors at private hospitals and clinics

The proposal also includes annual increments and additional benefits.

The draft recommends entry-level, full-time medical officers receive at least 90 percent of the basic pay of a government ninth-grade officer under the 2015 pay scale, with salaries adjusted under any future government pay revision.

Doctors would work 48 hours a week, receive a 5 percent annual increment after one year, three festival bonuses and a Tk 1,000 medical allowance.

The proposal sets minimum monthly pay, including basic salary and allowances, at Tk 35,000 in Dhaka, Tk 33,000 in district towns and Tk 30,000 at the Upazila level.

Temporary full-time doctors would receive festival bonuses worth two-thirds of their basic pay.

Part-time doctors would be paid Tk 1,250 for an eight-hour day shift and Tk 1,500 for a night shift.

The draft also proposes a 50 percent non-practising allowance for doctors with postgraduate degrees in basic medical sciences who agree not to engage in private practice.

It also recommends six months' maternity leave for full-time doctors after one year of service.

The seven-member committee submitted its recommendations to the Health Services Division on Jul 13 after being formed last month following protests by interns and postgraduate trainee doctors demanding a structured pay scale.

Director General of Medical Education Prof Dr Nazmul Hossain said the recommendations reflected the country's socio-economic realities and would be implemented only if approved by the government.

He said private hospitals would be directed to comply if the proposal was endorsed, adding that the government could revise the minimum rates upward after consultations with stakeholders.

The draft drew mixed reactions from doctors on social media. Some welcomed the move, while others argued it had been prepared without adequate consultation and, in some cases, proposed lower salaries than existing rates.

Health Services Division Secretary Md Quamruzzaman Chowdhury said the proposal remained a draft and would be finalised after consultations with all stakeholders.

He dismissed criticism that the structure was disrespectful to doctors, saying the government would not approve an undignified pay scale.