Overview The Telangana Health department is set to implement the 'You Quote, We Pay' scheme to address the persistent issue of faculty shortages in government medical colleges. This initiative particularly targets high-demand and hard-to-fill specialities, aiming to stabilize medical education and strengthen patient care systems across the State. Key Developments Scheme Details Name: 'You Quote, We Pay' Objective: To attract and retain specialist doctors in government medical colleges. Mechanism: Specialist doctors can quote their expected consolidated salary. The government will select the lowest viable bid within an approved ceiling. Salary Range: Pay can go up to nearly three times the regular starting salary of a professor, potentially reaching up to ₹6 lakh . Targeted Specialities and Locations Specialities: Radiology, cardiology, neurology, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology. Locations: Aims to attract faculty to medical colleges in far-off districts such as Adilabad and Nizamabad , where institutions have struggled to retain specialists. Implementation Strategy Initial Phase: Confined to 10 medical colleges . Selection Criteria: Based on attendance data from the Electronic Bio-metric Attendance System (EBAS) . Prioritization: Colleges where low faculty attendance risks action from the National Medical Commission (NMC) , including de-recognition, will be prioritized. UPSC Relevance GS Paper II: Social Justice & Governance This scheme is relevant to GS Paper II , specifically related to health, education, and government policies. It addresses the critical issue of human resources in the healthcare sector and innovative approaches to improve service delivery. Key Concepts Human Resource Management in Healthcare: Addressing shortages and improving the quality of healthcare professionals. Decentralized Governance: Allowing specialists to quote their salaries introduces a market-based mechanism within the public sector. Role of Technology: Using EBAS for monitoring and prioritization. Important Facts The scheme is being implemented by the Telangana Health department . The Director of Medical Education (DME), A. Narendra Kumar , provided details about the scheme. The scheme is a targeted intervention and not a blanket policy for all departments. The initiative was reported on December 29, 2025 .