Agartala, 30th June 2026: Former Tripura Health Minister and Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman on Tuesday said that the state government’s decision to restrict private practice for in-service doctors and professors at GB Pant Hospital and Agartala Government Medical College could create serious challenges for the healthcare system.
Although an official notification on the matter has not yet been issued, Roy Barman claimed that many doctors have already stopped engaging in private practice. He said this has led to increased pressure on the outpatient departments (OPDs) of government hospitals.
He criticised the policy, calling it impractical, and warned that it may push several experienced doctors, especially those nearing retirement or with long years of service, to leave their jobs. According to him, such an outcome would negatively affect both patient care and medical education. He also questioned who would be responsible for teaching students at the medical college if senior faculty members were to step away.
Targeting Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, who also holds the Health portfolio, Roy Barman remarked that the Chief Minister himself had previously engaged in private practice during his time as a professor at Tripura Medical College.
He suggested that instead of imposing a complete ban, the government should have introduced stricter regulations to ensure doctors do not engage in private practice during official working hours. He added that doctors are typically bound to an eight-hour duty schedule and cannot be expected to work beyond that without proper arrangements. According to him, a more practical roster system should have been introduced to ensure the availability of senior doctors in hospitals around the clock, instead of relying mainly on interns after duty hours.
Responding to comparisons with AIIMS, he said that such a model cannot be directly replicated without similar levels of pay, infrastructure, and facilities.
Separately, the Congress leader also criticised the BJP over allegations related to alleged irregularities and theft involving donations to the Ram Temple trust. He said that such incidents, if true, are deeply condemnable and have hurt public sentiment.
