Officials said that while government salaries are certainly not high enough to lure doctors, many of the absconders want the best of both worlds: security and pension of a government job and the perks of a private practice. So, Kerala, which famously has the highest number of healthcare institutions in the country, is severely dependent on private medicare. As of last year, the cumulative bed strength of the government hospitals was 43,273, while the private hospitals had 67,517 beds on offer.

Director of Health Services Dr Kutta Mani says, “Salaries are a big issue, working conditions are another, and there are many more.”

Meanwhile, the Health Department is trying hard to woo retired doctors and offering temporary contracts to some from private hospitals. The initiative, leveraging the National Rural Health Mission, offers to pay relatively higher wages to the doctors: Rs 25,000 to postgraduates with over five years’ experience, Rs 21,000 to those with less than five years’ experience, and Rs 15,000 to graduate doctors with no experience.