Lhak-Sam opened a small community based care house in Genekha, Thimphu yesterday to provide support services to people living with HIV/AIDS.
Lhak-Sam said the facility was set up since HIV patients needed care especially after they are out of public health services. Lhak-Sam is a non-profit organisation with its core objective to help those with HIV.
The care house has four rooms and it will also provide assistance to those vulnerable to the disease, for instance, men having sex with men, prisoners, and drug abusers who are bogged down by social discrimination and stigmas.
“Drug abusers and recovering addicts face difficulty in finding a job, so we will bring them to the nursing house,” said Wangda Dorji, the Executive Director of Lhak-Sam. He further elaborated that the nursing home will provide social and psychological support to the members. Additionally, the nutritional meals and on campus employment will be provided.
“Below the care house, we have a land. There, we will plant flowers and will sell them. The income earned from it will be used for buying rations and for medicinal expenses,” he added. “While we plant the flowers, we will engage the members of the care house.”
Lhak-Sam endeavours to construct more nursing homes in the future on the five acre lease land. This is to double up their services even to people who are homeless in the country.
