Agartala, 22nd April 2026: A 10-month-old baby girl from Gomati district has been given a new lease on life after a complex and completely free surgery at Agartala Government Medical College and GBP Hospital.
The incident occurred on April 18, 2026, when the infant, Arpita Shil, accidentally swallowed a small lead bulb while playing at her home in Kakraban. Soon after, she developed severe coughing and breathing difficulties. Her parents immediately rushed her to the district hospital in Gomati around 1 PM. Considering the seriousness of her condition, doctors there referred her to GBP Hospital in Agartala.
By 3:30 PM the same day, the child was admitted to the ENT department, where doctors began urgent evaluation. Based on diagnostic reports, the Head of the Department, ENT specialist Prof. Dr. Biplab Nath, confirmed the presence of a foreign object lodged in the right bronchus of the child’s airway.
Given the critical nature of the case, the medical team decided to perform an emergency procedure under general anesthesia to remove the object. The operation was particularly challenging due to the extremely small size of the infant’s airway. Under the leadership of Prof. Nath, a specialized team of doctors was formed to carry out the delicate procedure.
Using bronchoscopy, the team successfully removed the lead bulb from the child’s airway despite significant technical difficulties. The surgery required precise coordination, especially in administering anesthesia under such critical conditions.
Following the operation, the child gradually recovered and was discharged from the hospital on April 21, 2026.
The medical team included Dr. Debolina De, Dr. Dipshikha Bhattacharya, Dr. Sukumar Debnath, Dr. Tanmoy Deb, and Dr. Bagdatta Pal. The anesthesia team comprised Dr. Bhaskar Majumdar, Dr. Chirashree Chowdhury, Arpita Chowdhury, and Dr. Swapan Debbarma, along with OT nurses and technicians.
The child’s family expressed deep gratitude to the doctors and healthcare staff for saving her life, especially appreciating that such a complex and life-saving procedure was carried out free of cost at the state-run hospital.
