The grade II Basic Health Units of Tarithang and Singye Gewogs in Sarpang are underutilised. Each BHU has 25 rooms including a delivery room but many rooms are empty.
The BHUs were constructed at a cost of over Nu.30 million. Both the BHUs were constructed around the same time.
The Health Assistant of Singye Gewog, Savitri Pradhan, said the BHU is too big, against the population, the gewog has. Singye Gewog has about 800 people. Tarithang Gewog’s actual population is about 600 but there are less than 360 people residing in the gewog. “We only use a few rooms. It is difficult to maintain the BHU when it is this big,” said the Health Assistant of Tarithang, Yogya Nanda Sharma.
It is barely a year since the BHU in Tarithang became operational and the structure is in a poor shape. The roofs are leaking, switches burnt and the railings rickety.
Meanwhile, the empty rooms are being used by the staff of the BHUs. Savitri Pradhan said since it is difficult to find quarters in the gewog, she shifted in, in one of the rooms. “Even if I find a quarter, it is going to be far from BHU and people may find it difficult to get to us during emergencies.”
Singye and Tarithang gewogs are the remote gewogs under Sarpang Dzongkhag
