A disagreement between the two gewogs had held the project since 2013

Health: The site for Haa dzongkhag hospital construction, which was long overdue following a disagreement between the two gewogs of Esu and Katsho is now finalised with the dzongkhag awarding the access road and culvert construction work on February 25.

The 20-bed hospital will be constructed at Bempurama,  opposite  Haa town. Bempurama is above Ingo village in Katsho gewog, and about 14 minutes walk from Damthang road near Katsho lower secondary school.

District health officer (DHO) Samten said the access road and culvert would be constructed by the dzongkhag while the health ministry will construct the main structure.

He said the access road and culvert construction worth Nu1.5M would start in a few days. “The hospital will be constructed on 7.331 acres of Sokshing,” he said.

The construction got delayed by years due to a disagreement between the people of Katsho and Esu gewogs. The people of Esu wanted the hospital to be constructed at Demo company, Royal Bhutan Army camp but they could not get land there.

DHO Samten said the present site was initially finalised by the dzongkhag tshogdu in 2013. The health ministry also approved the site after a technical assessment. “Later, Esu gewog’s people along with a few people from Ingo complained about the site during the health minister’s visit who then asked the dzongkhag to look into the possibilities of looking for a better site,” he said.

After an alternative site couldn’t be found, the DT again finalised the present site in 2014. The dzongkhag administration has also obtained the land’s thram.

Dzongkhag planning officer Lobzang Dorji said some households in Ingo village claim that the hospital construction would affect their drinking water source even though there is no water source at the site. “We will not hold the construction any more,” he said.

However, dzongkhag officials are not sure when the hospital construction would begin.

By Nima Wangdi, Haa