Agartala, July 15: The administration of Govind Ballabh Pant (GBP) Hospital, Tripura’s premier government healthcare facility, has initiated a series of corrective measures following a surprise inspection by Chief Minister and Health Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha. The Chief Minister’s visit brought to light several shortcomings in infrastructure, maintenance and patient amenities, prompting the hospital administration to act immediately.
Speaking to the media, Medical Superintendent Dr. Bidhan Goswami said the inspection helped identify long-pending issues, including damaged furniture, water leakage, non-functional wash basins, incomplete painting work and poor maintenance in different sections of the hospital. Following the visit, a joint review meeting was held involving officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) Medical Division, Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) and senior hospital authorities to prepare an action plan for addressing the deficiencies.
Dr. Goswami said the PWD has assured the hospital administration that repair and renovation work will be completed at the earliest. He noted that continuous rainfall in recent weeks had affected the pace of maintenance work but expressed confidence that pending repairs would now be expedited.
To strengthen emergency healthcare services, the Medical Superintendent announced that the hospital will soon restart the Triage Area at the Trauma Centre. The facility had remained non-functional due to staff shortages, but its revival is expected to ensure quicker assessment, prioritisation and treatment of critically ill and emergency patients.
The hospital has also taken steps to improve facilities for patients and their attendants. Seating arrangements and safe drinking water facilities have already been provided. However, after observing lapses in their proper utilisation, Dr. Goswami directed Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr. Bishnu Goswami and Resident Medical Officer Dr. Bikash Debbarma to closely monitor these facilities and ensure that patients and their families do not face unnecessary inconvenience.
Security has also been strengthened across the hospital campus. Dr. Goswami acknowledged that the absence of CCTV surveillance in certain areas had led to incidents of theft. To address the issue, the hospital has intensified coordination with the police and deployed plain-clothes security personnel. Over the past two months, nearly ten suspects have been apprehended and handed over to law enforcement agencies.
Emphasising that GBP Hospital remains an open-access public institution, Dr. Goswami said continuous vigilance, enhanced security measures and ongoing infrastructure improvements will help provide safer, cleaner and more efficient healthcare services for patients across Tripura.
