Anaesthesiologists in India are the perioperative physicians responsible for rendering patients unconscious or insensible to pain, maintaining physiological homeostasis during surgery, and restoring safe emergence — across general, regional (spinal, epidural, brachial plexus, femoral, sciatic, TAP blocks), and monitored anaesthesia care. The mandatory training path is MBBS → MD/DNB Anaesthesiology (3 years via NEET-PG) with premier seats at AIIMS Delhi, PGIMER Chandigarh, JIPMER, KEM Mumbai, and CMC Vellore. Subspecialties commanding the highest private-sector compensation include cardiac anaesthesia (on-pump CABG, valve replacements using TEE + CPB), neuro-anaesthesia, liver and renal transplant anaesthesia, and chronic pain medicine (fluoroscopy-guided nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation). Anaesthesiologists work across OT, ICU, labour floor, chronic pain clinics, and procedural sedation suites at institutions like Apollo, Fortis, Manipal, Medanta, and all major government medical colleges.