Ugyen Dorji

Mongar — The 65-bed Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) construction in Mongar has been completed 48 percent and is expected to finish on time.

The project began on December 20, 2021. Then the facility was made a Covid-19 hospital for six months. The construction could start only on July 4, 2022.

Project manager Dorji Rabten said the reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) wall, infill wall, and internal plastering works had been completed. Roofing and site development (RCC shear wall) works are underway.

The project manager said by the end of this month, major works such as mechanical, electricity, plumbing, heating, and cooling system, medical gas, firefighting, biometric and nurse call system, and water and sewage treatments works would begin.

He said that for these works, expertise needs to be hired from outside.

To ensure seamless operation of these systems once complete, the project manager also wrote to the Medical Superintendent of Eastern Regional Referral Hospital, Mongar to deploy maintenance personnel to the project site.

“This strategic approach will not only enhance their familiarity with the specialised works but also ensure a smoother transition into the maintenance phase during the operational stage of the hospital,” Dorji Rabten said.

“ It is imperative to have maintenance personnel at the project site during the construction stage and this proactive measure would contribute significantly to the long-term efficiency and reliability of our hospital’s infrastructure,” the project manager said.

The project is expected to be completed by July next year, and the work is contracted to T-Kunzom Private Limited.

Dorji Rabten said within 18 months significant progress has been achieved. “Looking at the progress we will complete it on time,” he said.

The officials attributed that as per the work plan 2-3 percent of the work has been delayed because of the inability to supply cement on time by the Nganglam cement factory, also since the Gyalpoizhing- Nganglam bridges collapsed, the transportation distance has become long, which affected the work progress.

The Nganglam cement factory was down and there was no cement supply for almost three months, which affected the work progress, an official said.

There are some challenges with manpower,there were four engineers when the project began, and now there are only two technical people including the project manager. The project has more than 100 workers.

The T-Kunzom Private Limited, site engineer, Aman Pradhan said, “If there is no issue with finance and works go as planned, expected to complete before time.”

So far, the project has spent about Nu 420 million, which is 44.9 percent of the approved project budget, worth Nu 935.24 million.

The government of India through project-tight assistance funded the project inclusive of furniture and construction.

The hospital is being designed to offer subspecialty pediatrics and gynecology services in six eastern districts, which will be a model hospital with world-class facilities and specialists for mothers and children.

The MCH is being constructed on the premise of the Royal Guest House, Nadangzor, a few kilometres away from Mongar core town. The hospital was gifted by His Majesty The King to the people.

MCH has three additional blocks of buildings in addition to the existing guest house in the hospital vicinity that spreads over 10 acres.

While the two-storey existing guesthouse will be used as a community health department block, two-storey each from blocks I and II will be used as pediatric, obstetrics, and gynecology department and emergency and diagnostics department as part of the outpatient department respectively.

However, the three-storey block III will function as an in-patient department with an operation theatre (OT) complex and services.