Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Wednesday inaugurated the Bharat Mata Canteen-cum-Night Shelter House at GBP Hospital in Agartala, fulfilling a poll promise and providing improved facilities for attendants and family members accompanying patients.
Following the inauguration, the Chief Minister inspected the rooms of the newly constructed facility and enquired about the infrastructure, services and other amenities available for users.
Agartala Municipal Corporation Mayor Dipak Majumder, Health Secretary Kiran Gitte, senior Health Department officials and other dignitaries attended the programme.
Saha said the facility had been developed at a cost of nearly Rs 5 crore, keeping in mind the difficulties faced by relatives and attendants of patients admitted to the hospital, particularly those coming from distant areas.
The Chief Minister stressed the importance of maintaining the shelter properly and ensuring adequate security. He directed the authorities to install sufficient CCTV cameras and establish a command centre for effective monitoring of the premises.
Saha also urged local elected representatives to regularly inspect the facility and ensure that the Bharat Mata Canteen-cum-Night Shelter House is properly managed and operated.
Highlighting the government’s efforts to provide shelter facilities in urban areas, Saha said around 12 shelter houses were being constructed under the Tripura Urban Livelihoods Mission (TULM) at a total cost of Rs 26.88 crore.
Of these, construction of 11 shelter houses has been completed and nine are already operational. The process for making the remaining two completed facilities operational will begin shortly, he said.
The Chief Minister also highlighted initiatives being taken to strengthen healthcare infrastructure across Tripura. He announced that the foundation stone for a 100-seat medical college in Dhalai district would be laid within the next few days.
Saha said trauma care and cardiac care centres were among the essential benchmarks for providing comprehensive hospital services.
Necessary steps, he said, have been initiated to introduce trauma and cardiac care facilities in all sub-divisional and district hospitals across the state.
The Chief Minister said the government remains focused on strengthening healthcare infrastructure while creating support facilities for patients and their families, particularly those who have to travel long distances for treatment.
