Tripura is accelerating efforts to upgrade its healthcare infrastructure, with plans to significantly expand critical care capacity and introduce advanced medical services across the state.
Chief Minister Manik Saha reaffirmed the government’s commitment to prioritising healthcare while addressing a press conference at Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital. He emphasised that strengthening infrastructure, workforce, and specialised services remains central to meeting the growing healthcare needs of the state’s population of around 4.2 million.
GB Pant Hospital, which functions as a key tertiary care centre alongside Agartala Government Medical College, is set to undergo a major upgrade in its intensive care capacity. Currently equipped with 116 ICU beds and 24 NICU beds, the hospital aims to scale up to 320 ICU beds based on recommendations from All India Institute of Medical Sciences following a recent collaboration.
As part of this expansion, a 16-bed Respiratory and Geriatric ICU has already been launched to cater to patients with complex respiratory and age-related conditions. Additionally, the hospital’s trauma centre operation theatre is now operational round the clock, supporting critical departments such as general surgery, orthopaedics, and neurosurgery.
Further improvements include the inauguration of a modernised labour room designed to provide enhanced care for mothers and newborns. The hospital has also significantly increased its overall bed capacity—from 727 earlier to 1,413 beds currently—with 156 ICU beds already functional. Work is ongoing to establish a dedicated critical care and communicable disease centre within the campus.
Looking ahead, the state plans to introduce five new super speciality departments, taking the total beyond the existing nine. Medical education is also set to expand, with an increase in MBBS seats. Telemedicine services, developed in collaboration with AIIMS, have already been initiated to improve access to specialist consultations.
In parallel, private healthcare players such as Shija Hospitals and Research Institute and GNRC Hospitals are expected to establish facilities in Hapania, further boosting healthcare access in the region. Two new district hospitals in Sepahijala and Khowai are also nearing completion.
The Chief Minister also announced that a new super speciality hospital will soon be inaugurated in Hapania, Agartala. The upcoming facility is expected to offer advanced life-support systems and modern treatment options, reducing the need for patients to seek care outside the state.