Residents of three chiwogs at Tading Gewog in Samtse are calling for the establishment of a healthcare facility to address their urgent need for accessible health services. They say the current facilities in neighbouring areas are too distant, leading to significant challenges and delays in receiving timely medical care.
The three chiwogs of Tenpaling-Tading, Norjangsa-Zochhaling, and Thongsa-Tobchhenthang in Tading Gewog continue to struggle with accessing nearby health services.
With the gewog’s health sub-post no longer functional, residents have to visit the Panbari Primary Health Centre, which is about 16 kilometres from the gewog office, or the Phuentshogling General Hospital. For some villages, it takes about an hour just to reach the gewog office.
“Despite facing numerous challenges, we have to travel to Panbari Primary Heath Centre, which lacks adequate facilities during emergencies. Hiring vehicles to reach Phuentshogling for medical services is both time-consuming and costly,” said Jai Kumar Pradhan, a resident of Tading Gewog.
“We prefer going to Phuentshogling Hospital over the Panbari Health Centre, which is currently our only option. One of the major challenges we face is the poor condition of the roads. They become impassable, especially during the monsoon season,” said Mangal Singh Tamang, another resident.
“It is very challenging during the monsoon season when someone falls sick and needs to be taken to the hospital. The roads are in such bad condition that vehicles cannot be used. Additionally, we don’t have an Out-Reach Clinic (ORC) nearby. We used to have a health assistant visiting our villages, but now, due to the deteriorating road condition, it is difficult for officials to reach us,” said Sonam Pelden Tamang, also a resident.
For years, these chiwogs did not qualify for the establishment of a Primary Health Centre due to their population size. However, with the current population now exceeding the required threshold, residents have renewed their calls for the establishment of a Primary Health Centre or at least a health sub-post within their villages. Despite this, the numerous Dzongkhag Tshogdu, DT sessions have failed to bring any significant changes.
In the latest DT meeting, the Tading Gup raised the concern once again.
“The gewog administration is ready to provide any kind of assistance in establishing a health sub-post or, if eligible, a Primary Health Centre in the nearby areas. However, we have not received the necessary support from the relevant offices. Everyone is aware that Tading Gewog is one of the largest gewogs in Samtse, yet our requests are often dismissed because we are near Phuentshogling. This has led to our appeals for help being repeatedly ignored,” said Yam Bahadur Ghalley, Tading Gup.
Officials from the district health sector clarified that a feasibility assessment revealed that the three chiwogs barely qualify for the establishment of a Primary Health Centre. The previous health sub-post was removed due to a lack of staff. Moreover, the 13th Five-Year Plan does not include plans to construct a Primary Health Centre in Samtse.
However, officials pointed out that the combined population of the three chiwogs is around 2,500, well above the 1,500 to 2,000 population requirement for a Primary Health Centre. They recommended that the gewog administration formally write to the health ministry to address the issue.
Passang Dorji, Samtse
Edited by Kipchu
