27-04-2025
After patient death ‘due to negligence' at Tripura's GBP Hospital, govt say doctor salaries to be tied to attendance
After a 23-year-old woman patient died at the state-run Govind Ballabh Pant (GBP) Hospital in Agartala, the Tripura government has said it will investigate the incident and take strict action if any truth is found in the allegations of negligence on the part of doctors.
Puja Das, who was admitted with a stomach ache on Friday, died on the night of the same day, with her family alleging that no specialist doctor from the surgical department had come to visit her despite being called for several times throughout the day.
Health Secretary Kiran Dinkarrao Gitte said on Saturday that the government would pay doctors and other staff members of GBP Hospital based on their biometric attendance from April onwards. 'We have made biometric attendance compulsory for the doctors and other staff members. Salaries of all the staff including doctors in the hospital would be made based on their biometric attendances from this month,' Gitte said while speaking to reporters at the Agartala Press Club.
Earlier, Forest Minister Animesh Debbarma and MLA Ranjit Debbarma—both from the ruling BJP 's ally TIPRA Motha—expressed their anguish at the absence of senior doctors at the referral hospital during their visit.
When asked about allegations raised by the minister and the legislator, the health secretary said that 'juniors' who had attained seniority were present during their visit to the hospital.
Gitte also highlighted development plans in place for the hospital, including the setting up of a new ward for stroke patients and the implementation of telemedicine services. He added that a Rs 13-crore proposal for setting up a cath lab was approved and that a Rs 56-crore proposal to procure medical equipment was sent to the Centre.
