Tripura CM announces retrofitting of 151 years old hospital building

AGARTALA: Tripura chief minister Dr Manik Saha on Wednesday announced the retrofitting plan for the 151-year-old heritage building of state referral hospital Indira Gandhi Memorial (IGM) in the city.
The old IGM building was built in British architecture and served the patients till 2010. After the new hospital building came up, the entire health infrastructure shifted to a multistoried modern premise but the government didn’t demolish the old structure, and declared it abandoned.
“The state government has been running Govt Dental College and Nursing College beside the hospital building on the same premise and cleared the front view of the old building.The original building of IGM is one of the heritage constructions of Tripura, which the government plans to preserve,” the Chief Minister said.
Dr Saha has directed the health officials to begin retrofitting the heritage building of IGM Hospital. Earlier, after a seismic survey, Tripura government had retrofitted Ujjayanta Palace, Umakanta Academy, and MBB College in the city while work was undertaken for the old Raj Bhawan – Pushpadanta palace and several others across the state have been under planning.
The IGM Hospital was founded by Maharaja Bir Chandra Manikya Bahadur in 1873 with just 30 beds and has a rich history. In the early 1900s, the British government initiated the construction
of memorials in honour of Queen Victoria, with contributions from princely rulers. Tripura’s then-king Radha Kishore Manikya expanded the hospital’s capacity to 54 beds for general patients and 10 for those with contagious diseases, renaming it 'Victoria Memorial Hospital.
The building’s name was inscribed atop the main structure, which was inaugurated by Sir John Woodburn, the British Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, in 1904. In 1990, the hospital was renamed after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and has since evolved into a state-of-the-art medical facility with 608 beds. Serving between 1200 to 1500 outpatients daily, the hospital also supports academic institutions.
The restoration of the heritage building is seen as a critical step in preserving the cultural legacy of Tripura while ensuring that the hospital continues to serve the community with modern healthcare facilities, the health department officials stated.