Health staff working with the Gelephu Central Regional Referral Hospital will now have access to the National Pension and Provident Fund’s housing complex. The housing units will accommodate 120 health workers. Gelephu Hospital has around 500 health workers including doctors, nurses, technicians, and supporting staff. The 120-unit residential buildings for the health staff were inaugurated on Thursday.
The newly constructed NPPF housing complex is located close to the hospital.
The completion of the housing units came as good news for the health workers who have been living in rented apartments until now paying high rent.
According to the hospital, although it is uncertain when the units will be available for occupancy, priorities will be given those medical doctors and nurses who have to attend emergency cases in the wards.
“The health staff at Gelephu Central Regional Referral Hospital had been waiting for the NPPF residential building to be completed because most of them were residing in private apartments. Some who could not find accommodation near the hospital area had to travel long distances. Attending to any emergency cases will be convenient now,” said Kuenzang Choephyel, a Drungtsho at the Gelephu Central Regional Referral Hospital.
According to the CEO of NPPF, the 120-unit residential buildings were constructed after the health ministry and the former NPPF management signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2018. The two sides then agreed to construct a housing complex to provide quality housing to health workers in proximity to the hospital.
The MoU was signed at a time when there weren’t enough private residential buildings in Gelephu.
NPPF’s CEO Dorji Penjor said, “In 2018, the health ministry and NPPF’s former management signed the MoU. I think that not less than 400 health staff were working for this Gelephu Central Regional Referral Hospital and maybe, at the time, there was a shortage of accommodation and that could be the reason.”
The NPPF contracted the construction of the residential buildings in two packages to two contractors in 2020, which was scheduled to be completed by 2022. However, the work got delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The housing complex was constructed by spending Nu 254 M.
Karma Wangdi
Edited by Phub Gyem
