Tripura CM announces renovation of 151-year-old hospital building | India News – Times of India

AGARTALA: Tripura Prime Minister Dr. Manik Saha announced on Wednesday the renovation plan for the 151-year-old monumental building of the government hospital Indira Gandhi Memorial (IGM) in the city.
The old IGM building was built in British architecture and served patients until 2010. After the new hospital building was constructed, the entire healthcare infrastructure was shifted to a modern multi-storey building, but the government did not demolish the old building and declared it abandoned.
“The state government has run the Govt Dental College and Nursing College adjacent to the hospital building on the same premises and cleared the front of the old building. The original building of IGM is one of the heritage structures of Tripura, which the government intends to preserve,” the Chief Minister said.
Dr Saha has directed the health officials to start renovating the heritage building of the IGM Hospital. Earlier, after a seismic survey, the Tripura government had renovated the Ujjayanta Palace, Umakanta Academy and MBB College in the city while work was underway on the old Raj Bhawan – Construction of the Pushpadanta Palace and several other palaces in the state is underway.
Established in 1873 by Maharaja Bir Chandra Manikya Bahadur with just 30 beds, the IGM Hospital has a rich history. In the early 1900s, the British government started the construction
of memorials in honour of Queen Victoria, with contributions from royal rulers. The then King of Tripura, Radha Kishore Manikya, expanded the capacity of the hospital to 54 beds for general patients and 10 for patients with infectious diseases, and renamed it ‘Victoria Memorial Hospital.
The building’s name was engraved on the main structure, which was opened in 1904 by Sir John Woodburn, the British Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. In 1990, the hospital was renamed after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and has since grown into a state-of-the-art medical facility with 608 beds. The hospital serves 1,200 to 1,500 outpatients daily and also supports academic institutions.
The restoration of the historic building is seen as a significant step in preserving Tripura’s cultural heritage while ensuring that the hospital can continue to serve the community with modern healthcare facilities, health department officials said.