Jaideep Shenoy/The Hindu

Mangalore, Feb 24: The Government is revising the salaries of medical faculty to be appointed to government medical colleges, including the three new colleges in Raichur, Shimoga and Bidar, Minister for Medical Education V.S. Acharya has said.

The revision would be done at a meeting of the departments of Finance and Medical Education and the revised scales would placed before the Cabinet for approval, he said.

He told The Hindu on the sidelines of a function at Deralakatte near here on Friday that the Government had taken note of a report appearing in these columns from Raichur on February 21.

Stating that it was the opinion of the Finance Department that the revised scales for the faculty — professors, associate professors and assistant professors — was on the higher side, he said the issue would be sorted out. It was initially decided to pay enhanced salaries to these faculty in the government medical colleges, that is, Rs. 75,000 a month to professors, Rs. 65,000 to associate professors and Rs. 50,000 to assistant professors. However, the Government recently withdrew that order and announced that it would pay Rs. 42,000 a month to professors, Rs. 40,000 to associate professors and Rs. 38,000 to assistant professors.

Not getting into the exact details of the revised salary structure, Dr. Acharya said it would be attractive for the best of faculty.

The Minister said there was dearth of qualified teaching faculty in anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, clinical and community medicine, forensic medicine and anaesthesia.

Expressing confidence that issues concerning proper fixation of salary based on gradation would be sorted out at the inter- departmental meeting to be held next week, Dr. Acharya said the revised salary scale would then be placed before the Cabinet for approval.