Amid rising mental health cases, a dedicated hospital for mental health and wellbeing called The PEMA Centre is under construction in the capital. The new 60-bed hospital will provide holistic care in early intervention, diagnostic services, treatment, counselling and reintegration services, among others. Currently, the country only has a psychiatric department under the National Referral Hospital, providing both outpatient and inpatient care.
This is the psychiatric department with 20 beds in total, providing services for alcohol and substance dependency, psychotherapy, and counselling. All necessary diagnostic services are also available for the patients. The department currently has six psychiatrists, seven clinical counsellors and ten nurses, who will soon be transferred to the new centre.
The PEMA Centre currently under construction will have 10 beds dedicated to children and families, 20 beds for treatment services for alcohol and drug dependency, and 30 beds across both closed and open wards for patients. It is designed to be an eco-friendly and inclusive facility.
“Let’s take an example of a child with mental health issues. So the child will have therapy rooms where you will have motor therapy, low speech therapy, occupational therapy, all these services under one roof. Now, even adults with mental health conditions, the psychiatric, earlier the psychiatric ward is just an admission and then treatment, and then sending them home. Now I think we will focus on the reintegration of mental health people with mental health illnesses into society,” said Dasho Dechen Wangmo, Head, The PEMA Secretariat.
According to The PEMA Secretariat, the new centre will have 40 nurses and 12 clinical counsellors. The nurses will be part of a newly trained cohort specialising in psychiatric care, trained by the Faculty of Nursing and Public Health in the capital.
Funded by the government, the construction project is valued at Nu 325 M and is expected to be completed by September this year. The construction began in 2022.
Once operational, the centre will not only offer renewed hope for those suffering from mental health issues but will also enable healing in a more inclusive and supportive environment.
Singye Dema
Edited by Sonam Pem
