Tripura to soon appoint Vice Chancellor for proposed medical university: CM Manik Saha

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha announced that the state government will soon appoint a vice chancellor for the proposed medical university, a move aimed at strengthening the administration and academic functioning of the state's expanding network of medical institutions.

Addressing a programme organised by the Hepatitis Foundation of Tripura (HFT) on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day at Rabindra Bhavan in Agartala, Saha said the legislation for establishing the medical university has already been passed by the state assembly.

The chief minister said the proposed university would bring all medical institutions in the state under a specialised administrative framework, replacing the existing arrangement 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," Saha said.

Tripura currently has three medical colleges offering 550 MBBS seats and more than 200 postgraduate seats. The chief minister said an Ayurvedic medical college is set to become operational during the current academic session, while a homoeopathic medical college is expected to begin functioning from the next academic session.

Highlighting improvements in the healthcare sector, Saha said referral cases from the state have declined by nearly 80 per cent over the years due to enhanced medical facilities.

He also said the state's telemedicine network is directly connected with All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, enabling patients at Govind Ballabh Pant (GBP) Hospital in Agartala to receive specialist consultations free of cost. According to the chief minister, the state government bears an expenditure of ₹5,000 per case under the initiative.

Saha further highlighted the state's preventive healthcare initiatives, including the Mukhyamantri Niramay Arogya Abhiyan, which focuses on early screening and treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

He said nearly 75 per cent of deaths in Tripura are attributed to non-communicable diseases, making early diagnosis and intervention a priority for the government.

The chief minister also commended the Hepatitis Foundation of Tripura for its efforts to eliminate hepatitis from the state over the next four years.

"The foundation has been working relentlessly to make Tripura hepatitis-free. I hope it will succeed in its mission with the support of the state government," Saha said.