Tripura tribal council inks deal with Apollo Hospitals for tele-medicine services

ADC executive member Kamal Kalai said, "This agreement will provide tele-medicine, tele-consultation and tele-emergency services; a tele-ICU facility administered by experts; and ambulatory services by Apollo specialists during health camps or outreach initiatives in far-flung areas. This is the first phase of our cooperation and understanding", Kalai said.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb (File)

The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Apollo Hospitals to set up tele-medicine services at the tribal council-run Kherengbar Hospital at Khumulwng, 25 km from Agartala.

Speaking to IndianExpress.com, Tripura ADC executive member Kamal Kalai Friday said the MoU was partially signed by Apollo Hospital authorities in February, when a team of the ADC visited Hyderabad. However, the TTAADC chief executive office, who was in Uttar Pradesh as the Returning Officer for the Assembly elections, returned recently and completed the MoU signing yesterday.

“This agreement will provide tele-medicine, tele-consultation and tele-emergency services; a tele-ICU facility administered by experts; and ambulatory services by Apollo specialists during health camps or outreach initiatives in far-flung areas. This is the first phase of our cooperation and understanding”, Kalai said.

Kalai also said doctors and nurses from Kherengbar Hospital will be trained in Hyderabad to learn to coordinate in virtual mode while offering treatment.

He also said Apollo is in discussion with ADC authorities to set up a unit of the hospital at a later stage in Khumulwng.

Since royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma-led TIPRA Motha’s assumed power in the state’s tribal council last year, the ADC has been trying to develop its public healthcare infrastructure, including equipping Kherengbar Hospital and different healthcare installations with oxygen concentrators and other modern healthcare facilities.

“This MoU would give the ADC a special opportunity to acquire advanced medical services, especially in far-flung rural areas,” the ADC executive member said.

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Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb inaugurated a 150 LPM oxygen plant at Khumulwng last year as part of the state government’s initiatives to build healthcare infrastructure amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The state government also announced Rs 30 crore to ensure quality public healthcare for the tribals living in the ADC areas.

One-third of Tripura’s 37 lakh population are from 18 tribal communities. Most of them live in the TTAADC, which is spread across 7,132.56 square km and covers nearly 68 per cent of the state’s geographical area.