The x-ray service in Riserboo General Hospital in Trashigang has remained suspended for almost a year now. The machine is damaged and the requisition for a replacement is taking longer than ever to get through. Consequently, patients requiring the radiography service are forced to travel either to Kanglung hospital or Pema Gatshel hospital.
Since the x-ray machine got damaged on 27th August last year, the hospital referred around 90 related cases to the health facilities in Kanglung and Pema Gatshel. For the patients, this means extra time and expenditure as they have to plan travel of more than 60 kilometres on either side.
Tashi Yoezer, from Wamrong in Trashigang shares the difficulties of going to other hospitals to avail the services. “We have to travel to Trashigang or Monggar for x-ray related service. It is a problem because we do not own a car. Also, it has cost implications. It would be convenient for us to have one x-ray machine at Riserboo hospital,” he said.
The need to restore the radiography service at Riserboo hospital was discussed during the Dzongkhag Tshogdu as well.
Wangdi, the Lumang Gup in Trashigang says the risk of travelling to another hospital for x-ray service is higher especially during the monsoon season. He said the matter was hence forwarded to the Dzongkhag Tshogdu.
The Riserboo Hospital Administration wrote to the Health Ministry four times but is yet to receive a response. A request for a new machine is put up since the spare parts of the damaged machine are not available in the market.
Gang Dorji, the Sr. District Health Officer at Trashigang says the machine is procured by the ministry but yet to import due to the pandemic. “For the time being, we requested the Trashi Yangtse District Administration to spare us the x-ray machine at Khamdang hospital. But again, due to the pandemic, we are not able to bring in experts from outside to fix the machine. We cannot do the job by ourselves,” he shared.
For now, with no immediate solution at sight amid the pandemic, it seems the inconvenience is here to stay at least for some time more.
Riserboo General Hospital caters to the people of Thrimshing and Wamrong dungkhags and part of Pema Gatshel.
Sonam Darjay
