The dental department in Taba in Thimphu is facing a shortage of health workers. According to health officials, more than ten employees had either retired or resigned while some of them were transferred since last year. The department has yet to get their replacement. This has left the patients frustrated with only a limited number of tokens issued in a day amid the shortage of staff.
People visit the hospital as early as 7 AM to get tokens. But many have to return home disappointed as the dental department issues about 150 tokens in a day.
“We reached here by 7 in the morning. We have been waiting till 9 AM in a queue under the scorching sun. When we could finally go to the doctor’s chamber, the doctor was not there. We don’t know where the doctor went or when the doctor will be back. It is 11 am and we are still waiting,” said Dechen Zangmo, a resident.
“The hospital has a large space but I personally noticed that the health staff are less. If the dental department recruits more staff, it would be very efficient. The patients will also be able to receive the services faster,” said Sonam Dorji, another resident.
“When the dental department was at the National Referral Hospital, we used to get tokens in the afternoon too. But here at Taba, I came in the morning but I could not get a token because there are only 25 tokens a day for a chamber. I think that is not enough for the patients,” said Tenpay Nima, a resident.
According to the data maintained by the dental department, there are currently 14 dentists including dental surgeons and specialists, 15 dental hygienists and 16 dental technicians.
Four dentists and dental technicians are on Extraordinary Leave and Long-Term Training.
Health officials at the department acknowledged that they have less staff than what is required as per standards. They said a dentist should be assisted by at least two dental hygienists. Currently, each dentist has only around one dental hygienist.
Health officials further added that the National Medical Service will recruit retired, resigned, and newly graduated medical professionals to address the shortage.
According to health officials, until additional employees are recruited, the existing health workers will have to work under pressure in all the departments as the country is experiencing a shortage of health professionals currently.
Namgay Dema
Edited by Tshering Zam
