Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has announced that the state government will soon appoint a vice chancellor for the proposed medical university, saying the move will strengthen the administration and academic management of the state’s growing network of medical institutions.
Speaking at a World Hepatitis Day programme organised by the Hepatitis Foundation of Tripura (HFT) at Rabindra Bhavan in Agartala, Saha said the state assembly had already passed the legislation required to establish the medical university.
He said the proposed institution would bring all medical colleges and institutes in Tripura under a dedicated administrative system, replacing the current arrangement in which they function under Tripura University.
“Several medical institutes are functioning in our state while two more medical colleges are coming up. Till now, medical institutes are functioning under the aegis of Tripura Central University, which lacks medical expertise. We will soon appoint a vice chancellor for the proposed medical university to run all the medical institutes effectively. This will help us improve medical education in the state further,” the chief minister said.
Tripura currently has three medical colleges with a combined intake of 550 MBBS seats and more than 200 postgraduate seats. Saha said an Ayurvedic medical college would begin functioning during the current academic session, while a homoeopathic medical college is expected to become operational from the next academic year.
Highlighting developments in the healthcare sector, the chief minister said referral of patients outside the state had fallen by nearly 80 per cent due to improved medical facilities. He added that Tripura’s telemedicine network is linked with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, allowing patients at Govind Ballabh Pant (GBP) Hospital in Agartala to receive specialist consultations free of cost. According to Saha, the state government spends ₹5,000 per patient under the initiative.
He also underlined the government’s emphasis on preventive healthcare through the Mukhyamantri Niramay Arogya Abhiyan, which focuses on the early detection and treatment of non-communicable diseases. Noting that nearly 75 per cent of deaths in the state are caused by non-communicable diseases, Saha said early diagnosis and timely intervention remain key priorities.
The chief minister also praised the Hepatitis Foundation of Tripura for its campaign to eliminate hepatitis from the state within the next four years. Expressing confidence in the initiative, he said the organisation’s efforts, backed by the state government, would help achieve the goal of making Tripura hepatitis-free.
