Health Secretary Kiran Gitte today stated that the state government’s decision to prohibit private practice by doctors serving at Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) and Gobind Ballabh Pant (GB Pant) Hospital was taken after extensive discussions with key stakeholders, including the All Tripura Government Doctors’ Association and the AGMC Teachers’ Forum.

According to Gitte, consultations were held on June 21, during which both organisations expressed support for the proposal to discontinue private practice by government doctors posted at the state’s premier medical institution and its attached hospital.

Explaining the rationale behind the move, the Health Secretary said that in several states across the country, doctors employed in government medical colleges and affiliated hospitals are barred from engaging in private practice to ensure better medical education and improved healthcare services.

“When AGMC was established in 2005, there was a proposal to restrict private practice by faculty members and doctors, but it was never implemented,” Gitte said.

He noted that states such as Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra have imposed a complete ban on private practice by government doctors, while Kerala, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have adopted restrictions for doctors working in medical colleges and administrative positions.

Gitte further revealed that Dr M. Srinivas, Director of AIIMS New Delhi, had visited AGMC and GB Pant Hospital in 2025 and submitted a report recommending measures to transform the institution into a Centre of Excellence. One of the key recommendations was a complete ban on private practice by doctors attached to AGMC and GB Pant Hospital to enhance the quality of healthcare delivery and medical education.

He said Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha personally held discussions with representatives of the doctors’ association and teachers’ forum on June 21. While supporting the proposal, the associations suggested measures such as linking Dearness Allowance (DA) calculations with Non-Practising Allowance (NPA), ensuring timely promotions and strengthening academic and research support.

To address these concerns, the state government has initiated amendments to the Tripura Medical Education Service Rules to create adequate promotional avenues for faculty members. The Council of Ministers has also approved a Non-Practising Allowance equivalent to 20 per cent of basic pay and allowed Dearness Allowance to be calculated on both the basic pay and NPA.

Highlighting recent developments, Gitte said the government has significantly strengthened manpower at AGMC and GB Pant Hospital by recruiting additional faculty members, doctors and senior residents to meet growing academic and healthcare demands. Contractual specialists have also been engaged to provide super-speciality services.

“With doctors dedicating their full professional time to AGMC and GB Pant Hospital, the institution will be better positioned to introduce super-speciality courses in the near future,” he said.

The Health Secretary expressed confidence that the policy decision would contribute to raising the standards of medical education and tertiary healthcare services in the state, while commending the commitment of AGMC and GB Pant doctors towards public healthcare.