Free Cardiac Procedure Under Ayushman Bharat Restores Woman's Health at GB Hospital
Aug 08, 2026
A cardiac procedure that would typically cost up to Rs 5 lakh at a private hospital was performed entirely free of cost at Agartala Government Medical College and GBP Hospital under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, as doctors successfully treated a woman's congenital heart defect without surgery.
The patient, Purnima Ghosh, 49, a resident of Udaipur Rajnagar in Gomati district, had long suffered from breathlessness and recurring chest pain. She was brought to GBP Hospital by her family on 16 July 2026, where Dr. Anindya Sundar Trivedi, Head of the Cardiology Department, examined her and advised preliminary tests. The reports revealed Atrial Septal Defect, a congenital condition involving a hole in the septum between the heart's two upper chambers.
Dr. Trivedi decided on an interventional procedure, and on 31 July 2026, a medical team led by him successfully completed the treatment through the blood vessels, without open heart surgery. The nearly two hour long procedure successfully closed the hole in the patient's heart. Purnima Ghosh made a full recovery, with her breathlessness and chest infection resolved, and was discharged from the hospital on 5 August 2026.
The successful procedure marked the department's first such treatment without open heart surgery. The medical team included cardiologists Dr. Rakesh Das, Dr. Manna Bhattacharjee, Dr. Samrat Das, Dr. Aristotle Tripura, Dr. Khamili Debbarma and Dr. Debashis Riang, along with an anaesthesia team led by Dr. Rimjhim Chakma and Dr. Manimoy Debbarma, and supporting nursing and technical staff.
Officials said the achievement reflects the hospital's growing infrastructure and the state's commitment to accessible, affordable healthcare.
