By Firstdespatch Desk Jun 28, 2026
Agartala, June 28 (FD) Teachers of Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) have welcomed the Tripura government's decision to prohibit private practice by faculty members and doctors attached to AGMC and GB Pant Hospital. However, they have urged the government to expedite long-pending service reforms, revise pay structures and implement a transparent promotion policy.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, AGMC Teachers' Forum leader Dr. Tapan Majumder said the faculty members had unanimously agreed to comply with the government's decision.
"We welcome the government's decision and have decided to discontinue private practice," Dr. Majumder said.
The Tripura Cabinet recently approved a ban on private practice by faculty members and doctors of AGMC and GB Pant Hospital in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Tripura government and AIIMS, New Delhi.
Dr. Majumder said the AGMC Teachers' Forum, along with the All Tripura Government Doctors' Association, had repeatedly urged the government to address several longstanding issues before enforcing the non-practising policy. Chief among these is the revision of the Tripura Medical Education Service Rules, which have remained unchanged since 2010.
He said the delay in updating the service rules has adversely affected the promotion prospects of medical teachers and called for immediate amendments.
The forum also demanded restructuring of the pay scale for medical teachers in line with the recommendations of the Seventh Central Pay Commission and UGC norms. According to Dr. Majumder, an Assistant Professor at AGMC currently receives a monthly salary of around Rs. 68,000, and the teachers have sought a Non-Practising Allowance (NPA) equivalent to 20 per cent of the basic pay.
He further stressed the need for a time-bound promotion policy and recruitment of additional faculty members, noting that existing teachers are simultaneously handling patient care, teaching and research responsibilities.
Rejecting allegations that private practice had compromised official duties, Dr. Majumder said only a handful of doctors had faced such complaints and insisted that the overwhelming majority of faculty members had fulfilled their responsibilities diligently.
The forum also proposed framing clear guidelines to regulate the engagement of government doctors in private healthcare institutions and recommended a phased implementation of the new restrictions to ensure a smooth transition.
Expressing concern over recent remarks by senior government functionaries suggesting that doctors unwilling to accept the policy could resign, Dr. Majumder said such statements were discouraging to the medical fraternity.
Senior physician Dr. Kanak Chowdhury emphasized that adequate faculty strength is essential to sustain specialist and super-specialist services in government hospitals. He warned that any shortage of medical teachers could affect compliance with National Medical Commission norms regarding minimum departmental staffing.
The state government has not yet responded to the demands raised by the AGMC Teachers' Forum. FD JK