Tripura’s National Health Mission faces a severe operational crisis as key field staff remain deputed to headquarters, causing critical staff shortages in hospitals and PHCs across districts. Allegations of political influence further hinder effective healthcare delivery.
The National Health Mission (NHM) in Tripura is grappling with a severe operational crisis stemming from an acute shortage of field staff across its District, Sub-District, and Primary Health Centre (PHC) levels. Despite repeated warnings from field officers, a significant number of personnel—originally appointed to oversee vital health operations in rural and sub-divisional areas—have reportedly been deputed to the Mission Headquarters, leaving lower-level institutions severely understaffed.
According to internal reports and multiple field officers, this staff deficit has persisted for over two years, causing widespread disruption to the delivery of essential health services. The Mission Director’s office has allegedly continued this pattern of deputation even as health facilities at the grassroots struggle to maintain basic operational efficiency.
The central government had sanctioned posts under the National Health Mission with a clear mandate: to strengthen monitoring and implementation of healthcare activities at Sub-Divisional Hospitals, Community Health Centres (CHCs), and PHCs. However, insiders allege that several officials, appointed for field-level supervision, are being retained at the Mission Headquarters for non-essential administrative work.
Tripura’s healthcare network—comprising 15 Sub-Divisional Hospitals, 21 CHCs, and 115 PHCs—has been operating under enormous pressure due to manpower shortages. In particular, there is an alarming scarcity of specialized staff such as Accounts Personnel and Health Management Information System (HMIS) Assistants. These technical roles are essential for maintaining data accuracy, financial transparency, and operational efficiency at the district level.
Field-level officers have repeatedly voiced their concerns in official meetings, including those chaired by the Health Secretary. Yet, sources claim that these appeals have largely gone unaddressed. The consequences are now being felt most acutely in rural and semi-urban areas, where the absence of trained personnel has slowed health-related reporting, disrupted record-keeping, and hindered fund management for mission activities.
Several cases have come to light that illustrate the alleged misuse of approved posts. For instance, Anukul Roy, a Sub-Divisional Accounts-cum-Data Assistant deputed from Dhalai District—one of the state’s most resource-constrained regions—is reportedly working in the Establishment Section of the Mission Headquarters. Similarly, Uttam Paul, who was appointed as a Sub-Divisional Programme Manager for a Sub-Divisional Hospital, has been posted in the Mission Director’s Office in a non-technical capacity.
Districts such as Unakoti, North Tripura, Dhalai, Sepahijala, South Tripura, West Tripura, Gomati, and Khowai are reportedly bearing the brunt of this administrative imbalance. In several cases, a single accountant has been forced to manage the financial records of two or three hospitals simultaneously, an unsustainable workload that raises serious concerns about transparency and efficiency.
Meanwhile, four Accountant and Administrative Assistants are said to be serving on deputation at the Mission Directorate without contributing substantially to any critical project. One accountant, in particular, has been accused of maintaining indirect involvement in private business activities while stationed at the headquarters—an allegation that further underscores the lack of oversight within the system.
Sources from within the Mission Directorate have suggested that many of these deputed officials are serving no meaningful purpose in their current roles. Instead, their presence is believed to have allowed political influence to seep into administrative operations. Some staff members are allegedly leveraging their proximity to the Chief Minister and the ruling political party—a trend said to have continued from the previous government’s tenure.
These allegations of politically motivated postings, coupled with the persistent manpower vacuum at the field level, have raised serious concerns about the effective functioning of the State’s National Health Mission. Experts and insiders warn that unless corrective steps are taken immediately, the state’s rural health infrastructure may face an even deeper crisis.
The dislocation of personnel from field duties to non-essential headquarters roles not only disrupts service delivery but also undermines the central goal of the NHM—to ensure accessible and equitable healthcare for all citizens, particularly in underserved and remote regions.
| Also Read: TMC-Backed goons behind attack on BJP Leaders: Biplab Deb |
At a time when public health systems are expected to respond swiftly to emerging challenges, such administrative inefficiencies could weaken community trust in state institutions. Observers urge the Health Department to re-evaluate these deputations, restore field-level staffing to sanctioned levels, and uphold transparency in mission operations to protect the integrity of Tripura’s healthcare framework.
