Tripura Doctors Demand Pay Hike Following Private Practice Ban

Agartala: State doctors in Agartala have stopped all private work. The ban took effect Sunday at Agartala Government Medical College and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital. Roughly 350 physicians are affected by the order. Patients are already feeling the pinch from the sudden lack of private consultations.

These doctors are not fighting the ban itself. They want better paychecks and a path to promotion. Dr. Tapan Majumder of the AGMC Teachers Forum says the government wants to turn the facility into a top tier institute. He argues the pay must match the ambition. "The government wants to transform the state's largest hospital into an institute like AIIMS-New Delhi. In that case, salaries and other perquisites should also be on similar lines," he said.

The doctors want the state to update old service rules. Leadership from the All Tripura Government Doctors Association, the Teachers Forum, and the Indian Medical Association met to plot their next move. They plan to corner the Chief Minister and the health secretary once they return to Tripura. They hope for a quick fix to their long list of complaints.