Tripura Chief Minister Prof. Dr Manik Saha on Monday announced that the state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Apollo Hospital in Chennai for the free treatment of children born with heart disease.

Inaugurating the State-level launching program of the ‘Stop Diarrhoea Campaign’ at Pragna Bhawan on Monday, Dr. Saha said that on May 10, 2024, the state government signed an MoU with Apollo Hospital, Chennai, where children suffering from heart disease will be treated free of cost.

"In our government medical college, Medica Hospital in Kolkata, and Shija Hospitals and Research Institute in Manipur, the treatment of babies born with heart diseases will also be free of cost. The cost will be borne by the state government, and financial help will also be provided to the parents," he said.

Apart from these, Dr Saha mentioned that under this campaign, babies from 0-5 years will be provided with ORS, zinc, and other treatments.

“When babies crawl, they touch many things, and with those hands, they touch their mouths or tongues, which can introduce parasites, viruses, and bacteria causing diarrhoea. We must take care of babies during crawling and ensure guardians keep their hands clean. We must work for the success of the Stop Diarrhoea campaign, especially during this rainy season. We also need to create awareness,” he emphasized.

Dr Saha, who is also the health minister, stated that the state government, in collaboration with the National Health Mission (NHM), is regularly conducting vaccination camps for children, health camps in different areas, and distributing medicines.

“We need to create awareness, and I want to thank the ASHA workers for their dedication amidst these natural calamities. From our health department and NHM, we have decided to provide them with umbrellas. We are also working on TB detection. Tripura has achieved widespread acclaim for exceptional performance in the National Tuberculosis Eradication Program, and 48% of Gram Panchayats are TB-free. We are working towards achieving 100% TB-free status by 2025. Our priority sector is health,” he added.

The event was attended by Tapas Roy, Secretary of Social Welfare and Social Education; Dr Brahmit Kaur, Additional Secretary of Health and Family Welfare; Dr Sanjib Debbarma, Director of Health and Family Welfare; and Rajib Datta, MD of National Health Mission and others.