Tripura Minister Refutes Opposition’s Privatization Claims About Government Medical College

AGARTALA: Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Choudhury has strongly refuted allegations by Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury regarding the alleged privatization of a government medical college. Responding to Jitendra Choudhury's letter to the Chief Minister, Sushanta Choudhury clarified that the authority to approve medical colleges rests solely with the National Medical Council (NMC), not state governments.

Choudhury highlighted that delegates from the NMC are scheduled to visit and inspect the proposed site for the medical college near Agartala. "Shantiniketan Medical College, which already has a strong presence in medical education, has expressed interest in establishing a college here. Our government fully supports this legal initiative," he stated.

Criticizing the opposition for spreading falsehoods, Choudhury pointed out that similar practices are followed in states governed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), including Kerala. "In Kerala, students of private medical colleges utilize government facilities for their training. This model is prevalent across the nation," he noted.

Emphasizing the necessity of private investments to address Tripura's poor doctor-patient ratio, Choudhury said, "Currently, we have one doctor for every three thousand people, which is significantly below the World Health Organization's recommended ratio of one doctor per thousand people. We need private investment to improve our healthcare standards."

Choudhury reassured the public that the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Agartala would not be privatized and that healthcare services would remain unaffected by the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). He underscored the government's commitment to maintaining public healthcare services while seeking private partnerships to enhance medical education and healthcare infrastructure in the state.

The Transport Minister's remarks aim to dispel the misconceptions and reassure the public about the state's healthcare initiatives, emphasizing that the move is in line with legal protocols and necessary to meet the healthcare needs of Tripura's population.

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