Gelegphu has its first private clinic now. Its establishment has helped ease number of patients visiting the Gelegphu Central Regional Referral Hospital, especially for X-ray, blood and urine tests.
Earlier, along with the locals, hundred of non-national labourers would be seen lined up at Gelegphu hospital after 4PM, almost everyday. Most of them would come to get their blood and urine tested. This is a requirement to get an immigration work permit.
Now, ever since the opening of the first private clinic, burden on the Gelephu Central Regional Referral hospital especially in the laboratory and X-ray section has been eased drastically.
On the other hand, for the labour agents, the process has become cumbersome and rather expensive. This is because after the tests at the clinic, the labourers have to go to the hospital again for physical check-up.
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While Gelegphu hospital charges about Nu.150 for such tests, the private clinic charges around Nu.580.
The proprietor of the clinic says, the fee is as per the approval of the government.
The private clinic, established this month, is run by four former technicians, who had worked in hospitals for more than 25 years. The clinic conducts x-ray, blood and urine tests of 50 to 60 foreign labourers every day.
Since its opening about two weeks back, the clinic already saw about 700 foreign labourers. Of which, four were detected with diabetes, one with malaria and another one with sexually transmitted disease.