Cancer patients in the country will soon not have to go to hospitals outside the country for radiation therapy. That’s because the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) will soon introduce radiation therapy.
The hospital hopes to be able to have the service up and running by the end of this year.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells. Every year, the National Referral Hospital refers about 400 patients, mostly to Kolkata and Vellore in India, for cancer treatment.
The President of the National Referral Hospital, Lhab Dorji, said the introduction of the service will reduce referral cases. “The service will provide relief to our people who face difficulties when they are referred outside Bhutan.”
The hospital will have to pay a monthly rental charge of Nu 1m for using the machine, which is imported from Germany.
“We are also required to pay almost Nu 500,000 for services of Nuclear Physicist and Clinical Oncologist. Whenever there is a need, we will get services of Surgical Oncologist for complicated cancer surgeries. For that, we are required to pay Nu 125,000 per week”, said President Lhab Dorji.
In the next 10 years, the National Referral Hospital is expected to provide radiation therapy independently without support from outside.
It took the hospital about two years to study, negotiate and get the approval to introduce the service in the country.
