Healthcare crisis unveiled: Faulty blood testing machines plague Tripura Hospitals

Agartala, May 05, 2024, By Our Correspondent

Tripura finds itself in the grips of a healthcare crisis as 69 hospitals grapple with the fallout of faulty blood testing machines allegedly supplied by a Gujarat-based company with political ties.

Sources within the state health department, speaking under conditions of anonymity, reveal that these flawed machines, procured through dubious channels involving influential political figures in Delhi, have compromised the accuracy of pathological diagnoses, particularly impacting the vulnerable segments of society.

Despite stern warnings in the form of show cause notices directed at both the company and its proprietor, there has been a conspicuous absence of any response, signaling a disregard for the health and welfare of citizens.

The company, purportedly entrenched within circles of power in the central government, clinched a lucrative contract worth Rs 3.17 crore from the state coffers, peddling each defective machine at a staggering rate of Rs 4.60 lakh.

Dr. Manik Saha, serving as both the Chief Minister and the state's health minister, remains oblivious to the magnitude of the crisis. The machines, flagged for their defects four years ago, continue to operate, amplifying the anguish of patients and eroding trust in healthcare services.