Tripura minister rebuts opposition’s claims on handing over government hospital to private entity

Tourism Minister Sushanta Choudhury strongly responded to a letter from Leader of Opposition Jitendra Choudhury, who had accused the government of privatizing a fully functional government medical college and hospital.

Addressing the allegations, Minister Choudhury criticized the principal opposition party, CPIM, for allegedly spreading misinformation ahead of the National Medical Council (NMC) delegates' visit.
 
He clarified that the state government lacks the authority to approve the establishment of medical colleges, a responsibility that solely lies with the NMC, formerly known as the Medical Council of India (MCI). 

He confirmed that NMC delegates are expected to inspect the proposed medical college site near Agartala.

Choudhury explained, “The Shantiniketan Medical College group, already active in medical education, has shown interest in setting up a college here, and our government has supported this legally sound initiative.” 

He dismissed CPIM MLA’s allegations, highlighting that in various states, private medical colleges utilize government hospital infrastructure.

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The Minister cited examples from Kerala, where CPIM governs, allowing private medical college students to observe autopsies in government facilities. Similarly, Bangalore’s Kasturba Medical College and several institutions in Pune and other cities have agreements with government medical colleges for educational purposes. Choudhury emphasized the need for private investment in Tripura's health sector to address the shortage of doctors.

He noted, “The combined 225 seats of Agartala Government Medical College and Tripura Medical College are insufficient. With WHO standards requiring one doctor per thousand people, and our current ratio being one doctor per over three thousand people, we must encourage private sector involvement. Our health department’s 1,189 doctors are inadequate”, he said.

The Minister assured that the administration of Indira Gandhi Memorial (IGM) Hospital in Agartala would not be handed over to the Shantiniketan Medical College group.

He explained, “Similar to their operations in Bengal’s Bolpur, where they use a local government hospital for teaching, they aim to sign an MoU with Tripura’s health department for the same purpose at IGM Hospital. This agreement will not affect healthcare services.”