Agartala (Tripura) [India], November 8 (ANI): Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Saturday said that the state government has given utmost importance to the development of health services and infrastructure in the state, not only in GB Pant or IGM hospitals but also in all district and sub-divisional hospitals across the state.

CM Saha said this while inaugurating the 25th annual conference of the Tripura branch of the Association of Physicians of India (API), organised at the Vivekananda Auditorium of Tripura Medical College today.

The two-day annual conference was attended by renowned doctors of the state, including Dr. Bijay Pal, Dr. Piyush Kumar Dutta, Dr. Tushar Kanti Dey, and Dr. Gautam Roy Chowdhury, who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Chief Minister presented the award to the awardees.

Speaking at the event, the Chief Minister stated that doctors can exchange their experiences with one another through medical associations, which can play a crucial role in strengthening the medical system.

Saha expressed hope that such conferences of medical associations will not only serve as platforms for discussion but will also lead to important decisions for the overall development of society and the medical system.

“There are currently three medical colleges in the state. There are approximately 400 MBBS seats, and the dental college has 63 seats. Meanwhile, the foundation stone of the private Shija Hospital has been laid. The infrastructure of this hospital will be developed at a cost of about Rs 900 crore, and a medical college will also be built there,” he said.

While speaking, CM Saha, who is also the Health Minister of the state, said that five kidney transplant operations have already been completed in the state.

“Doctors have already been appointed to overcome the shortage of doctors in the state. In addition, institutions for B.Sc. Nursing, ANM, GNM, Pharmacist, and other courses have been established in the state. Despite having all the facilities, there are sometimes problems in the state’s main referral hospital, GBP, due to administrative errors. Therefore, the state government has already signed an MoU with AIIMS, New Delhi, to improve all aspects of patient services in this hospital,” said CM.

He added that about Rs 250 crore has been spent on the health welfare of common people under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and about Rs 26 crore under the Chief Minister’s Jan Arogya Yojana.

“There are now about 1,100 Health and Wellness Centres in the state. Work on building a state-of-the-art eye hospital on the vacant land adjacent to ILS will start in the coming days,” he said.

CM further mentioned that Tripura is currently the second-best state in the North-East in terms of per capita income and GSDP. (ANI)