First PPP model of medical college at Tripura

To protect the interest of 200 MBBS students and over 900 doctors and other employees, the Tripura government has taken over India's first PPP model medical college and hospital, promoted by the Kerala based Global Educational Net (GENET), said officials in Agartala on Sunday. 'The 100-seat Tripura Medical College, set up by GENET in collaboration with the Tripura government here in 2004, is the first public private partnership (PPP) model in the healthcare education in India,' said Tripura Health Minister Tapan Chakraborty. An official notification said, 'As the GENET has failed to comply with the terms and conditions of the agreements signed with the organisation and also conveyed its inability to run the medical college, the Tripura government has rescinded all agreements and lease deeds signed with GENET.' 'An 11 member registered society headed by principal secretary health and family welfare has been formed to run the college and hospital,' added the notification.

With the establishment of the medical college, which also has a 500-bed hospital, the Tripura capital had also achieved the remarkable distinction of being the only city in the northeastern region to have two medical colleges. The state-run Tripura government Medical College started functioning in 2003. 'As per the term and conditions, the Tripura government has so far provided INR 250 million to GENET to run the medical college and hospital and the organisation had collected over INR 210 million from the students as donations,' said a senior official, requesting anonymity.  The notification also said, 'The GENET has failed to secure permission of the Medical Council of India (MCI) and government of India in admitting students in the academic year 2008-09 and it has also failed to pay the salaries of employees due to which there was a series of disruptions in the normal functioning of the college and hospital.'