The Gelegphu hospital was upgraded to Central Regional Referral Hospital, CRRH, in 2005. The hospital had, however, not seen any infrastructural development. With an increasing number of patients, the hospital is now having problems with space.
The patients from Samdrupjongkhar and Pemagatshel Dzongkhags are also being referred to Gelegphu because of its proximity. The number of patients being referred increases every day but the building remained the same. This has led to a space crunch in the hospital. When patients outnumber the ward capacity, beds have to be set up in the corridor.
The male ward in-charge said lack of space hampers the quality of services they provide to the patients.
“Infection control is a challenge. If there is enough space, children and mothers should have a separate ward for better infection control,” said Rinzin Wangdi,
It is not just the wards, even the dialysis room is faced with lack of space, which prevents free movement of the staff and patients. The ultrasound room too is small because of which both the ultrasound machines could not fit into one room. As a result one ultra-sound machine is lying underutilized.
“We requested for a bigger one but there is no more space available,” said Tshengden, Ultrasound Technician
The residents said Gelegphu hospital is the regional referral hospital yet it lacks proper infrastructure and manpower. They said construction of the new hospital should be expedited.
“It is difficult for patients. Last time, I was sick and when I came here, I saw four to five people kept in the corridor due to lack of space in the ward. We need a bigger hospital, better facilities, and enough doctors,” said Tashi Wangdi, a local resident.
Another resident, Tashi, said even the car parking gets congested because of the number of people visiting the hospital. “We would be grateful if the government could address the problem at the earliest.”
The contract to construct the new hospital was given in May this year but works could not begin as the fund was not released. The fund is yet to be released but government has given directives to begin construction within this month. The budget for the construction of the new hospital is approximately Nu. 620 million.
