For a worst-case scenario of COVID-19 in the country, the Health Ministry has already initiated three plans: pooling of human resources, elderly programme and counselling programme.
Health Minister Dechen Wangmo highlighted that preparing human resources is the most important in such case as there is no way the country can depend this on foreign aid since most of the neighbouring countries are already in lockdowns. Hence, 41 doctors who were undergoing specialisation abroad and 92 medical students are back in the country. The ministry even contacted the retired medical staff for mobilisation in such a situation.
For now, there are only over 3000 medical staff in the country.
Health Minister, Dechen Wangmo said the regular services like vaccination, delivery, cancer and kidney treatments at the hospitals will be taken care of by the retired medical officials. Whereas medical students will assist the health officials in treating COVID-19 patients. Moreover, trained Desuups will take over the quarantine services and relieve the health officials who will be available to catering medical services thereof.
The Health Minister also said health services should be taken to the elderly and those with underlying health conditions should the country enter the red zone.
“We started an elderly programme whereby there are around 50,000 elderly people in the country and we are done with the registration in 12 Dzongkhags. And if we enter the red zone and if an elderly person is suffering from diabetes, then we need to identify who will drop the medicine so that the person need not visit the hospital,” lyonpo added.
The third plan which is the counselling programme is led by Dr Chencho Dorji, a retired psychiatrist who came forward to render his service. The counselling services are available to everyone in quarantine and the ministry has already shared the contact numbers of the counsellors on its social media platforms.
Lyonpo said more than 75 per cent of the people in quarantine are students.
Tshering Zam
