Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday said the state government is working to modernise government hospitals and build an integrated healthcare system to ensure quality, technology-driven and affordable medical services for people across the state.
The Chief Minister made the remarks while inaugurating the newly constructed 50-bed Agartala Civil Hospital in the state capital, named after Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee. Describing the inauguration as a significant milestone in the state's healthcare sector, Saha said the hospital marks the beginning of a new chapter in the government's efforts to strengthen public health infrastructure.
"Today, the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Agartala Civil Hospital has been inaugurated and dedicated to the people. It is a matter of great happiness for all of us," he said. The Chief Minister said the hospital has been launched as a pilot project and reflects the government's commitment to transforming government healthcare institutions.
"We have seen the condition of government hospitals in the past, with broken chairs, tables and inadequate facilities. Today, we have come out of that situation. Since our government came to power, we have been continuously working to modernise government hospitals.
We are not claiming that everything has been completed, but we are moving steadily in that direction. A new chapter has begun in Tripura's healthcare sector," he said. Saha, who also holds the Health and Family Welfare portfolio, said the government is committed to ensuring that all hospitals in the state are equipped with adequate doctors, medical staff, ambulances and modern facilities so that people can receive quality healthcare close to their homes.
"We are working on an integrated healthcare system in Tripura, and this hospital will function as a completely paperless facility. Poor people also deserve quality healthcare and better services, and with that objective, this hospital has been established with modern technologies," he said.
He said the hospital has been designed to meet the healthcare needs of people living in Agartala city, reducing the need for patients to rush to other hospitals during emergencies. "The hospital has facilities for minor and general surgeries, OPD services in ENT, medicine and gynaecology, besides comprehensive mother and child healthcare services.
It has 50 oxygen-supported beds, an oxygen generation plant and ambulance services. An Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) has also been installed to ensure the scientific disposal of hospital waste," the Chief Minister said. He said the Rs 20.37-crore hospital would serve as a model for similar healthcare facilities across the state.
"If this initiative proves successful, we will establish similar modern hospitals in all Municipal Council and Nagar Panchayat areas of Tripura," Dr Saha added. The Chief Minister reiterated that the government has attached high priority to developing an integrated healthcare system in the state through greater use of digital technology.
"If we can successfully implement e-office systems in the three-tier Panchayati Raj institutions, there is no reason why we cannot introduce similar systems in the healthcare sector. Today, almost every kind of treatment is available in Tripura, and as a result, referral cases outside the state have declined by 83 per cent," he said.
Saha also highlighted the rapid expansion of specialised healthcare services in the state. "We are establishing mother and child hospitals not only in Agartala but also in other districts. Seven successful kidney transplants have already been conducted in Tripura, and two more are scheduled shortly.
We are also planning to introduce heart and liver transplant facilities in the state, and work in that direction is progressing," he added. Agartala Municipal Corporation Mayor and MLA Dipak Majumder, Health Secretary Kiran Gitte, Urban Development Secretary Milind Ramteke, Agartala Municipal Corporation Commissioner Saju Wahid A and other senior officials attended the inaugural function.