Who Is the Highest-Paid Doctor in India? - Earnings, Rankings & Insights

Ever wondered which doctor pulls in the most money in India? The answer isn’t a celebrity surgeon you saw on TV, but a cardiology specialist whose clinic reads like a boutique. Below you’ll find the name, the numbers, and why the figure looks the way it does.

Quick Takeaways

• Dr. Ashok Seth tops the list with an estimated annual income of around₹12crore (≈$1.5million).
• His wealth comes from a mix of private procedures, hospital ownership, and high‑fee consulting.
• Other top earners include Dr. Naresh Trehan (cardiac surgery) and Dr. Devi Shetty (cardiac care), each making between₹8‑10crore.
• Specialty, city location, and brand value are the biggest salary drivers in India’s medical market.
• Medical tourism and private‑hospital growth suggest these earnings could keep rising.

Meet the Highest‑Paid Doctor

When we talk about the highest‑paid doctor India, the name that pops up in most business magazines and health‑industry reports is Dr. Ashok Seth, a pioneer in interventional cardiology. According to the Economic Times’ 2023 earnings roundup, his net earnings hover around₹12crore per year, which translates to roughly$1.5million USD.

Dr. Seth built his reputation by performing complex angioplasties and stent placements that saved thousands of lives. He runs the Seth Cardiology Clinic in New Delhi, owns a stake in several private hospitals, and charges premium fees for high‑risk procedures. All these streams combine to push his paycheck well above his peers.

How Is a Doctor’s Income Calculated?

Doctor salaries in India aren’t just a basic salary. They’re a mosaic of:

• Procedural fees: Each angioplasty, bypass, or transplant can bring in lakhs of rupees.
• Hospital ownership: Many top doctors hold equity in the hospitals where they practice, earning a slice of the overall profit.
• Consulting and speaking: High‑profile physicians often command hefty speaking fees at conferences and serve as brand ambassadors.
• Medical tourism: International patients are willing to pay a premium for world‑class care, inflating the doctor’s billable hours.

When you add these pieces together, the numbers climb quickly, especially for specialists like cardiologists, orthopedic surgeons, and neurosurgeons who command the highest procedural fees.

Top Earners in the Indian Medical Landscape

What Drives These Mega Salaries?

Several forces push a doctor’s paycheck into the crores:

• Specialty demand: Cardiology, neurosurgery, and orthopedics involve expensive equipment and life‑saving interventions.
• Urban concentration: Cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru host private hospitals that charge premium rates.
• Brand value: Doctors who become household names attract high‑paying patients and corporate deals.
• Medical tourism: India's reputation for affordable yet high‑quality care draws foreign patients who pay in dollars.
• Government policies: Recent relaxations in foreign investment for private hospitals have opened new revenue channels.

All these factors intertwine, meaning a doctor’s earnings can skyrocket with the right mix of expertise and business acumen.

Is This Income Sustainable?

The rise of tele‑medicine, stricter regulation on procedure pricing, and a push for affordable public health could temper private‑hospital margins in the next decade. However, specialists who continue to innovate-think robot‑assisted surgeries or AI‑driven diagnostics-are likely to keep their earning power.

Moreover, India’s growing middle class and increasing health‑insurance penetration suggest that demand for premium care will stay strong, keeping the top‑earners in a comfortable zone.