In a remarkable display of medical expertise and government-backed healthcare delivery, doctors at the Govind Ballabh Pant (GBP) Hospital and Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) successfully performed a complex brain surgery that saved the life of a 28-year-old woman battling a severe brain haemorrhage.

The patient was initially rushed to GBP Hospital on July 15 with signs of a life-threatening intracranial bleed. 

Doubtful about the state’s treatment facilities, her family sought a second opinion at the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore. Ironically, doctors at CMC reaffirmed the exact course of treatment already suggested in Agartala — Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) followed by coiling.

After returning from Vellore, the family still remained hesitant and approached Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha for a referral elsewhere. The Chief Minister personally assured them of the hospital’s capability and urged them to have confidence in the local doctors.

Their decision to stay in Tripura proved timely. The patient suffered a third haemorrhage on July 20, prompting urgent intervention. She was promptly readmitted to GBP Hospital where, on July 23, a team of neurology specialists successfully carried out the DSA and coiling procedure — free of cost under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. 

Experts estimate this procedure could have cost upwards of Ra. 10 lakh in a private facility elsewhere in the country.

Led by Assistant Professor Dr. Abir Lal Nath from the Neurology Department, the surgical team included Dr. Surajit Pal, Dr. Manimoy Debbarma, and a dedicated nursing unit headed by Sister-in-Charge Sebika Dutta. 

Nurses Pran Krishna Deb, Titiksha Majumdar, Sanjay Ghosh, Manas Dutta, and Debabrata Debnath played key roles in the operation and post-operative care.

Doctors had to treat a dangerously large aneurysm — a complex task that required extreme precision and round-the-clock monitoring. Post-surgery, the patient showed signs of recovery and is now stable.

Overwhelmed with emotion, the patient’s family thanked the doctors and staff for saving her life.

Medical Superintendent Dr. Shankar Chakraborty, Director of Health Services Prof. (Dr.) Tapan Majumdar, and Health Secretary Kiran Gitte were briefed about the case’s success.