Patients on Floor and On-duty Staff Sleeping on Beds is No More Acceptable: GB Hospital Medical Superintendent Orders Removal of Nurses Beds

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, September 9, 2025

A new directive issued at Agartala’s GBP Hospital has sparked strong reactions among healthcare workers, especially nurses. The hospital’s Medical Superintendent, Dr. Shankar Chakraborty, announced that all beds from nurses duty rooms are to be removed with immediate effect, but there is no instructions whether the beds will remain available in doctors rooms or not.

Patients lying on the floor while on-duty staff use beds is no longer acceptable, Dr. Chakraborty stated, justifying the decision as a step toward prioritizing patient care and hospital space management.

However, the order has triggered frustration among nurses, who argue that the workload in GBP Hospital, Tripura’s busiest referral hospital is already overwhelming with inadequate manpower. Nurses claim that after long hours of continuous duty, they hardly get proper rest, and now even their resting space is being taken away.

“Nurses handle almost all the pressure in the wards. With only a few staff managing hundreds of patients, the situation is already stressful. If we are denied even a place to sit or lie down during long hours, how will we continue to provide effective care?” said one nurse on condition of anonymity.

Concerns have also been raised about the practicality of retaining beds for doctors while removing them from nurses duty rooms. Critics point out that in GBP Hospital, most doctors, apart from interns and post-graduate trainees, do not stay round-the-clock inside the wards. “If doctors are not continuously on duty in the hospital, why do they require beds inside the premises while nurses who stay on the floor throughout have none? asked a senior health staff member.

Healthcare workers emphasize that while reforms are welcome, the administration must first ensure adequate staffing and proper facilities for both doctors and nurses. Removing nurses beds without addressing manpower shortages, they fear, will only add to the stress on frontline caregivers.

The issue is quickly becoming a matter of debate within the medical community, with many calling for a balanced and practical approach that respects both patient needs and staff welfare in Tripura’s largest government hospital.

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