By Investigative Correspondent | Tripura 24.in
AGARTALA | May 23, 2026
AGARTALA: In a shocking incident that exposes systemic apathy and severe infrastructure gaps within the state’s medical emergency network, a premier government hospital allegedly turned away a choking infant, citing that the “shift hours had ended.” The failure of the emergency desk forced a helpless father to navigate heavy traffic on a two-wheeler to transport his gasping daughter to an alternative facility miles away.
The incident has triggered widespread public outrage, with citizens questioning the accountability of the health department, which operates directly under the executive purview of Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha.
The Incident: A Race Against Time
The medical emergency unfolded earlier today when a young child accidentally swallowed a sharp fish bone, which became severely lodged deep inside her throat. As the child began choking, experiencing acute pain and breathing difficulties, her panicked father immediately rushed her to the emergency block of the Indira Gandhi Memorial (IGM) Hospital—one of the largest public healthcare facilities in the capital city.
Instead of immediate triage or intervention, the family was met with absolute administrative coldness.
The Family’s Ordeal:
- The Refusal: The on-duty emergency physician at IGM Hospital flatly refused to admit or treat the choking child.
- The Justification: The medical staff reportedly told the desperate father that they could not handle the case because “it was past 4:00 PM,” implying that specialized outpatient or procedural slots had concluded for the day.
- The Transit: Stranded without institutional support or an allocated state ambulance, the helpless father placed his struggling daughter onto his personal scooter and raced through city streets to the Govind Ballabh Pant (GB) Hospital.
“What is the Purpose of an Emergency Desk?”: Helpless Father Questions System
Speaking to local media representatives outside the GB Pant Hospital trauma unit, the distraught father could not hold back his tears as he slammed the criminal negligence of the IGM administration.
”A fish bone lodged in an infant’s throat can block the windpipe at any second. I ran to a massive state-run hospital thinking they would save my child. How can an Emergency Doctor look at a choking baby and say, ‘We can’t treat her because it’s past 4:00 PM’?
Does an emergency look at the clock before striking? An emergency department is supposed to operate 24/7 with doctors capable of handling basic life-saving procedures. If we have to run from one end of Agartala to the other on a scooter with a dying child, what is the point of these multi-story government structures? This is an absolute failure of human empathy and duty,” the child’s father stated.
Health Department Faces Public Backlash
The horrifying incident has dealt a heavy blow to the image of the state health administration, which has frequently claimed major upgrades in institutional emergency responses.
Civic bodies and opposition groups have pointed out that since Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha—himself a prominent medical professional—personally oversees the Health Ministry, the presence of such systemic rot at the ground level is deeply concerning.
Medical experts note that removing a foreign object from a child’s throat requires a basic Otolaryngology (ENT) check, which should be readily available on-call across any apex district hospital emergency room, regardless of the hour. While the child is currently receiving specialized care at GB Pant Hospital, the citizens of Agartala are demanding a high-level administrative inquiry into the IGM authorities, calling for immediate suspension of the staff involved for violating standard emergency medical protocols.
