Coinciding with the birth anniversary of the His Majesty the Third Druk Gyalpo, the National Referral Hospital in Thimphu observed its first-ever Foundation Day yesterday.
Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen graced the event. Her Majesty lighted the butter lamp, placed in front of the Third Druk Gyalpo’s Kupar (portrait).
Her Majesty unveiled the 2017 Annual Report of Jigme Dorji Wangchuk National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH). The report provides the readers a glimpse of various healthcare activities and aspirations of the hospital.
Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen also granted a token of appreciation to organisations and individuals for their contributions (cash and health equipment) to the hospital.
The contributors include His Holiness the Je Khenpo and the Zhung Dratshang, Her Majesty the Queen Mother Tshering Pem Wangmo, Her Royal Highness Ashi Kesang Wangmo Wangmo, and private individuals from within the country and abroad.
The Foundation Day was a special day for the entire staff to reflect on the significant development of hospital since its inception.
Initially, the JDWNRH had humble start at Langjophakha, Thimphu in 1956 upon the Royal Command of the Third Druk Gyalpo.
Later in 1974, it was shifted to the present location and named it as Thimphu General Hospital.
But with the rapid development, the need for expansion of healthcare services led to the introduction with specialised services in 2002, and the hospital was renamed as the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in honour of the Third Druk Gyalpo.
Today, the country’s largest hospital has capacity of 368 beds with 1300 staff providing various specialised primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare services. Over the years, the hospital has introduced sophisticated services such as neurosurgery, urological, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Computed Tomography scan services.
In recent times, the hospital also introduced Inter-Uterine Insemination, Renal clinics and Forensic Toxicology services among others.
At present, there are only one national referral, two regional referral and 20 district hospitals and over 180 Basic Health Units in the country.
