**Agartala, Oct 14:** Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Tuesday met Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda in New Delhi to discuss key health infrastructure and manpower issues, including the establishment of a new medical college in the state.
According to officials from the Chief Minister’s Office, Saha apprised Nadda of the state government’s plan to set up a new medical college at Kulai in Dhalai district—an aspirational district—under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The proposal aims to strengthen medical education and healthcare access in Tripura’s underserved regions.
The Chief Minister, who also holds the Health and Family Welfare portfolio, discussed several other initiatives, including the creation of a Tertiary Ophthalmology Hospital in Agartala and an Immunology Lab for organ transplant services at the Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital.
Saha requested central assistance for procuring advanced medical instruments for the Super Speciality Block at AGMC and sought additional funds to clear pending claims under the Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
Tripura currently has three medical colleges—AGMC, Tripura Medical College (TMC), and Tripura Santiniketan Medical College (TSMC). While AGMC is government-run, TMC operates under a state-managed society, and TSMC is privately run.
Highlighting progress in medical education, Saha noted that the number of MBBS seats in the state has risen to around 400. The newly established Government Dental College has expanded from one seat earlier to 63 at present. The National Medical Commission has also approved 150 MBBS seats at AGMC for 2025–26, with 118 reserved for state students, 22 for central nominees, and 10 for students from the Northeast region.
Currently, about 525 students are pursuing MBBS at AGMC.
