Tripura Govt Plans 20% Special Allowance to End Private Practice by Doctors in AGMC, GB and IGM Hospitals

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, June 1, 2026

In a major healthcare reform initiative aimed at strengthening public health services, the Tripura Government is preparing to introduce a new policy under which doctors serving at Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) & GB Hospital and IGM Hospital will receive a 20 percent Special Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) along with their salaries. In return, they will be required to completely refrain from private medical practice.

Senior officials of the Health Department said the move is intended to ensure that patients visiting the state's two principal referral hospitals receive full-time attention and uninterrupted medical services from government doctors. The proposal is expected to significantly improve the availability of doctors within government health institutions and enhance the quality of healthcare delivery.

According to health department sources, the scheme will initially be implemented for doctors and medical officers posted at AGMC & GB Hospital and IGM Hospital. However, the government plans to gradually extend the benefit to doctors serving in district hospitals, sub-divisional hospitals and other government health institutions across the state.

The initiative follows an earlier directive approved by the Governor of Tripura in August 2025 regulating private medical practice by doctors belonging to the Tripura Health Service (THS). The directive was issued under the provisions of the Tripura Health Service Rules, 1974 and subsequent amendments. Under the existing framework, doctors opting not to receive the Non-Practicing Allowance were allowed to undertake private practice subject to certain conditions.

However, health department officials acknowledged that private practice by some government doctors during and after Out-Patient Department (OPD) hours continued to remain a concern. The government now intends to introduce a stricter policy by providing enhanced financial incentives through a 20 percent salary-linked allowance while simultaneously prohibiting private practice altogether.

Under the proposed policy, doctors receiving the Special Non-Practicing Allowance will be strictly barred from engaging in any form of private medical practice either during or after OPD hours on working days. The prohibition will apply both within and outside their respective health institutions.

Sources further revealed that government doctors and medical officers covered under the scheme will not be allowed to conduct private practice from government premises, government quarters, personal residences, private accommodations, nursing homes or private hospitals either within Tripura or outside the state.

Health officials believe that the policy will help ensure greater accountability, improve patient care and increase the availability of specialist doctors in government hospitals. The government is also of the view that the measure will reduce the tendency of patients being referred to private facilities and strengthen confidence in the public healthcare system.

Officials pointed out that several states, including Delhi, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, have already implemented similar Non-Practicing Allowance policies for government doctors. Drawing from these models, the Tripura Government hopes to create a more patient-centric healthcare environment where doctors devote their full professional attention to public service.

The BJP-led state government considers the proposed reform an important step towards improving healthcare accessibility and ensuring that citizens receive timely and quality medical treatment at government hospitals. If successfully implemented, the initiative could mark a significant transformation in the functioning of Tripura's public health sector and set a new benchmark for medical service delivery in the state.

more news...