Agartala, Jul 12: Months ahead of the crucial Agartala civic body poll, Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Sunday inaugurated the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Agartala Civil Hospital, describing it as the first hospital under the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) to function as a fully paperless, corporate-style healthcare facility and a pilot project that could shape the state’s future healthcare expansion plans.
The 50-bed hospital, located near Jackson Gate area in Kashaipatti, has been developed jointly by the AMC, the Health Department and the National Health Mission (NHM) at a cost of ₹20.37 crores and likely to reduce patient pressure on existing hospitals.
Dr. Saha, who also holds the Health portfolio, inaugurated the facility in the presence of Agartala Municipal Corporation Mayor Dipak Majumder, Health Secretary Kiran Gitte and AMC Commissioner Saju Wahid.
Calling the hospital a “model project”, the Chief Minister said the government would closely monitor its performance before deciding whether to replicate the concept in other parts of the state.
“This is a pilot project. If it is successful, we will gradually introduce similar hospitals elsewhere,” Dr. Saha told reporters, adding that the government would take future decisions based on its performance.
The inauguration comes days after the state Cabinet decided to prohibit private practice by doctors and faculty members of the state-run Agartala Government Medical College and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital to improve patient care at the state’s premier referral hospital.
Dr. Saha said the new facility has been designed to offer services comparable to corporate hospitals while remaining free for patients. From registration to OPD and IPD services, every process will be paperless, making it the first such municipal hospital in Tripura.
The hospital will also introduce evening outpatient services, addressing a long-felt gap in healthcare availability in Agartala between late afternoon and night. Initially, labour room and delivery services will continue, while additional facilities will be introduced in phases.
The Chief Minister said the hospital would eventually expand into a full-fledged modern healthcare institution as offices presently functioning in the building, including the Passport Office and the Reserve Bank of India, relocate to their own premises.
Equipped with oxygen pipeline connectivity for every bed, the hospital will provide OPD services in medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, ENT and dental care. Doctors have already been posted, while more healthcare personnel will be deployed gradually.
Dr. Saha said the facility is expected to reduce patient pressure on IGM Hospital and GBP Hospital while improving access to healthcare for residents of densely populated localities in and around Agartala.
Emphasising that healthcare remains one of the government’s top priorities, the Chief Minister said the new hospital represents a significant step towards delivering efficient, technology-driven and patient-friendly public healthcare services in the state.
