Three new machines at Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Maternal and Child Clinic in Thimphu are expected to improve medical care and reduce waiting time for pregnant women.
A not-for-profit organisation, Bhutan Foundation donated the equipment: Doppler Ultrasonogram, Photometer for Haemoglobin estimation and Transcutaneous Bilirubinometer, yesterday.
The National Referral Hospital otherwise had just one of each equipment.
The hospital’s Ultrasonogram, which uses high frequency sound waves to create images of both the baby and reproductive organs of a mother, has been in use for more than a decade.
A few mothers, BBS spoke, to say the machine is going to help both the mother and baby be safe. “If we stay at home, we wouldn’t know if the babies inside us are alive,” said a mother, Tshering Dema.
Every year, the antenatal clinic provides services to more than 2,000 pregnant women.
A specialist from the community health, Dr. Pelgay Jamyang said the only photometer had broken down and the hospital was using other method to determine the health of mothers and babies.
“I think, the service will improve drastically,” said the doctor.
He said they have increasing number of patients.
They conducted over 8,000 ultrasounds, last year, of which close to 90 percent were for the antenatal check up.
The other machine is used to estimate serum bilirubin in newborns and detect Jaundice.
More than 1,300 cases of neonatal jaundice were detected, last year.
Bhutan Foundation’s Co-chair, Her Majesty the Queen Mother Tshering Pem Wangchuck handed over the equipment, costing over Nu 1.5 M, to the hospital.
