Agartala, 14th August 2026 : Complaints have surfaced at Unakoti District Hospital in Bhagwannagar, Kailashahar, alleging that patients admitted to the hospital are being left waiting for several hours before being examined by doctors. Patients and their families claim they have had to wait between six and 12 hours, with some allegedly forced to seek treatment elsewhere due to the delay.
One such case involves a 13-year-old girl from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Pecharthal. According to her family, she fell ill late on Thursday night, August 13, and was brought to the hospital’s emergency department around midnight. After an initial examination, she was admitted to the Medicine Department. However, the family alleged that by noon on Friday, nearly 12 hours later, no Medicine Department doctor had examined her. Her father said the girl remained in pain on the hospital bed without receiving proper treatment.
In another case, an 80-year-old woman from near the Kailashahar Press Club reportedly suffered a stroke at around 5 am on Friday. She was taken to the hospital, where the emergency doctor admitted her to the Medicine Department. Her family alleged that even by noon, six hours later, no medicine specialist had attended to her.
Unakoti District Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Rohan Pal acknowledged the shortage of doctors. He said the Medicine Department has been facing an acute shortage for the past few days. Of the three medicine specialists, Dr Pritam Pal is outside the state pursuing a PG course, Dr Rakesh Das is on leave for family reasons, while Dr Purnakrita Debbarma has reportedly been on leave for nearly a month.
According to the Medical Superintendent, the shortage has been reported in writing to senior Health Department officials, but no permanent solution has yet been found.
The crisis is reportedly forcing patients from distant areas to seek treatment at private hospitals in Agartala and elsewhere, increasing their financial burden. Patients and families are now demanding urgent steps to fill the vacant positions and restore normal services at the district’s major government hospital.
