From next year, doctors and Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) of hospitals will be able to focus on medical practice, leaving aside the administrative and management duties. According to the health minister, this is part of the ongoing health transformation, which was approved by the Cabinet in August. The initiative follows the healthcare motion passed last year to relieve doctors of administrative duties and decentralise the National Medical Services’ roles.
According to a health survey conducted in 2023, 19 per cent of healthcare providers were dissatisfied with the balance between clinical and administrative work. Doctors were the most dissatisfied group.
Currently, CMOs in all districts are required to handle administrative duties, including overseeing health facilities in their respective districts, while also carrying out clinical responsibilities.
The minister said, “While the centralisation of healthcare centres in 20 districts under National Medical Services was aimed at improving efficiency, it also introduced operational challenges for oversight and coordination. Additionally, placing public health centres under CMOs’ supervision shifted their focus from the co-mandate of preventive and promotive health to predominantly curative services, resulting in a significant reduction in preventive care delivery.”
The minister said that these additional burdens affected both service delivery efficiency and public health outcomes.
So, to ease their workload, the health ministry is planning to recruit new district health officers to carry out the administrative and management of health centres. However, the ministry is waiting for the Royal Civil Service Commission’s approval.
The minister said, “Public health centres, the then BHUs, will be decentralised to their respective district administration. The District Health Officer will be responsible for overall administration and management of the District health sector, supported by the Chief Medical Officer and Public Health Officer. The CMO will focus primarily on clinical service delivery, overseeing all hospitals, while the Public Health Officer will oversee public health programmes, regulatory and policy functions, and management of all public health centres.”
The National Medical Services, which currently oversees all healthcare centres, will only focus on the two regional referral hospitals, 10 cluster hospitals and the Royal Centre for Infectious Diseases.
However, human resources and medical equipment management of all health centres will still function under National Medical Services.
Other reforms under the health transformation include upgrading the Traditional Medicine Division to the National Centre for Traditional Medicines and reinstating operational autonomy to the national referral hospital.
In order to readjust officials to their new roles, the ministry is initiating workshops and orientation.
The ministry aims to complete the transformation by the end of December.
Singye Dema
Edited by Tshering Zam
