Agartala, June 25, 2024: Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Choudhury on Tuesday accused Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury of spreading falsehoods about the alleged privatization of a government medical college. Reacting sharply to Jitendra Choudhury’s letter to the Chief Minister, Sushanta Choudhury stated, “No state government can approve medical colleges; only the National Medical Council (NMC) has this authority. The NMC delegates are soon visiting to inspect the proposed site near Agartala.”

He emphasized the legality of the process, noting, “Shantiniketan Medical College, already established in medical education, has shown interest in setting up a college here. Our government supports this legal initiative.”

Chowdhury criticized the CPIM’s misleading tactics, pointing out similar practices in CPIM-governed Kerala and other states. “In Kerala, private medical college students use government facilities for training. This model is prevalent nationwide,” he noted.

Highlighting Tripura’s dire doctor-patient ratio, he argued, “We need private investments to meet WHO standards. Our current ratio is one doctor for every three thousand people, far below the recommended one per thousand.”

He assured that the Indira Gandhi Memorial hospital in Agartala would not be privatized, maintaining that healthcare services would remain unaffected by the proposed MoU.