Tripura Medical College (TMC) plans a special pool of qualified nurses for need-based patient care, replacing unauthorized caregivers, enhancing patient safety, ensuring legal compliance, and improving service transparency through supervised, call-based nursing support.
Tripura Medical College and Dr. BR Ambedkar Memorial Teaching Hospital (TMC & DRBAMTH) has announced a major institutional reform by deciding to create a special pool of qualified nurses to ensure need-based service delivery and enhanced patient care within the hospital premises. The initiative aims to streamline caregiving services while improving patient safety, accountability, and overall hospital management.
According to hospital authorities, the proposed system will function through a structured and supervised mechanism. A designated nodal officer will be appointed to oversee the operations of the nurse pool, register service requests from patient attendants, and ensure timely deployment of qualified nursing personnel as per individual patient needs.
Elaborating on the initiative, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Tripura Medical College, Nandan Sarkar, stated that the nurse pool will operate on a call-based system. When patients or their family members require special or additional care beyond routine hospital services, they will be able to contact the nodal officer directly. Based on the request, a qualified nurse from the approved pool will be assigned to provide care.
Sarkar further clarified that the charges for these nursing services will be fixed by the TMC authorities, ensuring transparency and preventing exploitation of patients and their families. “Very soon this system will be implemented,” he said, adding that the move is part of a broader effort to professionalize caregiving services within the hospital.
The decision comes in the wake of the hospital administration barring the entry of several individuals popularly referred to as “special midwives.” Sarkar explained that this title was self-assumed and not officially recognized by the institution. For over a decade, some local women had been working as auxiliary caregivers inside the hospital and were paid directly by patient parties without any formal association with the hospital.
However, the hospital authorities received multiple complaints over the years, including allegations of mobile phone theft, medicine theft, and inappropriate behavior with patients and their attendants. More importantly, the administration found that many of these caregivers lacked the necessary professional qualifications to safely handle patients.
“As a medical institution functioning under legal and ethical obligations, we are liable under the Consumer Protection Act. Allowing unqualified individuals to provide patient care poses serious risks,” Sarkar noted. Consequently, the hospital decided to bar such unauthorized caregivers from entering the premises and replace the informal system with a regulated and accountable nursing service.
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In addition to the nurse pool initiative, the TMC authorities have also constituted a Medico-Legal Cell, which became operational on January 2. This cell will address medical cases that involve legal complexities, ensuring better coordination between healthcare delivery and legal compliance.
Furthermore, the hospital is planning to set up a dedicated media cell to enhance information dissemination, public communication, and transparency regarding hospital policies and developments.
The introduction of the special nurse pool is expected to significantly improve patient care standards while reinforcing institutional discipline, legal compliance, and trust in the state’s premier medical college and hospital.
