Dechen Dolkar
To strengthen health services and revitalise sustainable primary healthcare, the Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP) is pledging to enhance health service delivery, access to essential medicines, funds, and leadership.
Speaking to the people of Dorokha, under Samtse, the Party President Pema Chewang promised to increase primary health care spending, introduce comprehensive annual screening for early detection and timely treatment while continuing with annual school health check-ups.
“A healthy population is crucial for economic prosperity, personal fulfilment, and meaningful contributions to society,” he said adding, that investing in rebuilding primary healthcare services would address up to 80 to 90 percent of people’s healthcare needs.
He also pledged to make essential medicines readily available in all basic health units given that approximately 67 percent of households are situated in rural areas, and “where valuable time is often spent arranging transportation for patients during health emergencies”.
He also promised to establish dialysis facilities in cluster hospitals, provide palliative care to individuals with terminal illnesses, movement difficulties, and for the elderly.
“Care attendants should be able to conveniently contact the home health care unit, to optimize quality of life and mitigate suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses,” he said.
He assured the public that the party will allow off-hour clinics and outsource select health services to ease the patient load at the National Referral Hospital. Immediate hospital administration, management, and patient care reforms will be administered as an urgent measure to enhance medical services.
He pledged that the party will introduce laboratory services, including tests for non-communicable diseases in all referral hospitals, starting from 7am to ease the rush hour clogging. In addition to providing regular and routine diagnostic services, private participation will be invited to offer diagnostic services as an alternative option.
The party pledged to procure three mobile primary health care vans, serving as clinics on wheels to provide a full range of primary health care services, including check-ups, treatment for minor ailments, health promotions and education, immunization, referrals, and prescription renewal.
The BTP president will meet the people of the Drakteng-Langthel constituency and Tingtiibi today.