The faculty retention issue at King George’s Medical University (KGMU) has worsened as four more senior doctors have resigned at once, bringing the total number of departures to seven in two months.
The recently resigned doctors include Dr. Manu Agarwal (Psychiatry), Dr. Tanvi Bhargava (Anesthesia), Dr. Ashok Kumar Gupta (Plastic Surgery), and Dr. Karan Kaushik (Cardiac Anesthesia). They chose to submit three months’ salary instead of completing their notice period, which allowed them to leave immediately. Dr. Bhargava has joined SGPGIMS, Dr. Gupta moved to Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, and Dr. Kaushik took a role at a private hospital.
These resignations come after at least three other senior faculty members left in the last month. Among them are Prof. Ajay Verma (Respiratory Medicine), who became head of department at RMLIMS; Prof. Kshitij Srivastava, a neurosurgeon and former chief proctor, who moved to a private hospital in Alambagh; and Prof. Adarsh Tripathi (Psychiatry), who is currently serving out his notice period.
This pattern isn’t new for KGMU, which has previously seen the exit of several prominent specialists such as Dr. Madhukar Mittal (Endocrine Medicine), Dr. Sant Pandey (Nephrology), Dr. Sunil Kumar (Neurosurgery), and Dr. Anupam Wakhlu (Rheumatology), among others from super-speciality fields.
Senior faculty at KGMU consider the major driving factor behind this trend to be a large salary gap. A government assistant professor’s pay starts around Rs 1.25 lakh per month and can rise to about Rs 3 lakh at the professor level. In contrast, private hospitals offer much higher packages, often exceeding Rs 10 lakh per month, along with extra benefits.
Another concern raised is the standardized salary structure that does not differentiate between specializations. Super-specialists, despite spending many extra years in training and working longer clinical hours, receive the same pay and perks as those in non-clinical roles.
KGMU’s spokesperson, Prof. KK Singh, mentioned, The doctors who resigned had joined recently. Some accepted positions elsewhere, while others left due to personal reasons.
Meanwhile, the KGMU Teachers’ Association has advocated for comprehensive policy reforms. Prof. Santosh Kumar, the association’s general secretary, emphasized, The government must develop policies for doctors trained in government institutes. Here, job security and opportunities to serve underprivileged populations are significant advantages, unlike in private sector jobs.