In a few years, Bhutanese will not have to go abroad to avail specialist medical services. Works are in progress to build the country’s first multi-disciplinary super-speciality hospital in Thimphu. The new hospital is expected to have 500 beds, almost 200 beds more than the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital.
Despite health personnel like nurses and doctors leaving the profession in droves in the past few years, the health minister says the available human resource is being trained in specialist fields.
The ministry has been sending doctors to specialise in fields like gyno-oncology. However, for this year’s intake, there are almost 27 specialised courses offered but only 21 candidates have come forth so far.
“The human resource for MDSSH will have to be prioritised from within the pool of available health workers. So, we will give them extra specialisation. For example, our medical specialists will go and get trained in oncology. The medical surgeons will go and get trained as oncology surgeons because MDSSH will have the oncology unit. So, HR mapping is already integrated into the MDSSH project,” said Health Minister Dechen Wangmo.
Once complete, the multi-speciality hospital will provide medical services that currently require ex-country referrals.
“If we look today, a lot of the referrals are happening, especially ex-country referrals. We hope that through the MDSSH, we will be able to provide most of these services in the country without people having to travel outside because, of course, when you are referring patients outside, most patients are from rural communities. It is very overwhelming and personally a lot of inconveniences,” added the Health Minister.
The health ministry has forwarded a detailed project report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade. The foreign ministry is currently in talks with the Indian government to fund the project.
Some of the structures of the old Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital will be dismantled to make way for the new hospital.
The multi-speciality hospital is one of the pledges of the government.
Tashi Yangden
Edited by Kipchu
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