Agartala, July 4: Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Saturday defended the state government’s decision to prohibit private practice by doctors and faculty members of Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) and GBP Hospital, accusing the Opposition CPI(M) of politicising an issue that the previous Left Front government had itself failed to implement.
Speaking at the National Doctors’ Day celebration at Pragya Bhavan and later interacting with reporters, Dr. Saha said the decision was taken after extensive consultations with doctors and based on recommendations from experts at AIIMS, with the objective of strengthening healthcare services in government hospitals.
“The previous government also attempted to stop private practice when AGMC was established in 2005 but failed because it could not win the confidence of doctors or compensate them adequately. We have taken the doctors into confidence and are implementing the decision in accordance with the law,” he said.
The Chief Minister said discussions had already been held with the medical fraternity, including meetings led by the Chief Secretary, and assured that further consultations would take place before the final notification is issued.
According to Dr. Saha, doctors have broadly welcomed the proposal but requested that the proposed 20 per cent non-practising allowance (NPA) for MBBS doctors be merged with their basic pay. “We have not yet issued the notification. We want doctors to be satisfied because happy doctors will provide better care to patients,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the government has proposed a 20 per cent additional payment as compensation for doctors giving up private practice, unlike the previous government, which he alleged had attempted to impose a similar policy without financial incentives.
Clarifying the scope of the decision, Dr. Saha said the policy applies only to doctors and faculty members of AGMC and GBP Hospital, not to all government doctors in the state.
He said the government had received complaints about the quality of outpatient and super-speciality services and the availability of doctors in government hospitals, making reforms necessary.
“Our objective is to make government hospitals more patient-friendly while safeguarding the legitimate interests of doctors,” he said.
Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated the state-level National Doctors’ Day celebration, where senior doctors were honoured with Lifetime Achievement Awards and awards for excellence in academics, administration, clinical services and programme implementation.
