In order to decongest the crowd at the National Referral Hospital, the health ministry has constructed four Thromde health centres in Thimphu. One such centre was inaugurated in Bebena today. The centre will provide a range of medical services to the community.
From now, people living in Bebena and nearby areas can access health services from this newly opened health centre.
The centre will provide laboratory service, ultrasound, endoscopy, pap smear test, x-ray, and conduct minor surgeries.
“The services that will be available from the health centre will not be just at the basic BHU level. Earlier, when we used to have a Bebena BHU, the services were limited only to the BHU standard. This will function like a ten-bedded hospital service,” said Dechen Wangmo, Health Minister.
According to some patients, the newly established health centre will ease their lives as they do not have to travel to national referral hospital and wait in a long queue.
“When we visit the national referral hospital, it is very difficult for elderly people like us because of the long queue. We have to wait there for hours to meet the doctor. But the new centre is convenient for us. We can easily get health services anytime,” said Khando, a patient.
“We can get health services from here like in any hospital. It is more beneficial especially for the women because services such as pregnancy tests, pap smear tests, and birth control are also available,” said Needup Lhamo, another patient.
The Asian Development Bank supported the construction of the centre worth over Nu 23 M.
Two similar kinds of health centres will be opened in Debsi and Simtokha tomorrow, and one is under construction at Motithang.
Namgay Dema
Edited by Tshering Zam
