The consultation by appointment in the Department of Ophthalmology (eye) at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) was discontinued earlier this month due to the complex nature of examination and treatment procedure.
“A patient before the consultation with the specialist has to go through several procedures like vision checkup and cycloplegic refraction, which takes around two hours. Because of it, the patient is not able to reach the consultant chamber on the given time,” Dr Gosar Pemba, the Medical superintendent of JDWNRH, said.
“Taking all this into consideration, the management has decided to discontinue the appointment system.”
“The people who come from places like Punakha, Chhukha come here expecting to meet with the eye consultant in a day. But with the appointment system, they have to wait for three to four days,” Tshering Phuntsho, the In-charge, of Eye Department, said.
The consultation by appointment was initiated in the Opthalmology department on September 3 this year, six months after the hospital introduced the appointment system in the ENT department.
