Staff Reporter 

Dophuchen Gewog Administration in Samtse has forwarded the case of an alleged negligence of Dorokha hospital regarding the death a village tshogpa.

The tshogpa of Melonggang chiwog, Dhan Raj Rai, was injured in a motorbike accident at Basentey in Samtse on August 7. He was taken to the Dorokha hospital by the principal of the Dorokha Higher Secondary School for treatment.

However, one of the brother’s of the late tshogpa, Som Bdr Rai, in a petition letter to the Dophuchen gup, has stated that the patient did not receive proper care at the hospital. He stated that his brother could have survived had the hospital referred him to a better hospital on time.

“We are waiting for a response from the authorities concerned,” Som Bdr Rai said. He stated that the hospital did not have a driver to take the patient to Phuentsholing when his brother’s condition deteriorated.




The petition stated that Dophuchen Gewog’s utility vehicle (Bolero pickup) had to drop the patient until Panbari in Samtse, where an ambulance from Phuentsholing had come.

Late Dhan Raj Rai was reached Dorokha hospital at 8.30 pm, according to the petition. The petition states that the patient was attended by a nurse on duty who said that the patient had a “fall injury on the chest” and was “intoxicated”.

“The nurse informed the doctor on call about the case and received a verbal order to go for an ultrasound (USG) and an X-Ray.” The brother of the late tshogpa in the petition stated that the doctor did not attend the patient although it was an accident case and that the patient was “discharged” with a painkiller.




As the pain did not stop, the patient visited the Dorokha hospital next morning at 6, the petition states. The patient was seen by the doctor only at 9 am and was discharged with some oral painkillers.

“They refused to refer the patient to another hospital for further investigation, saying that it was not a serious matter,” the petitioner stated.

According to Som Bdr Rai the condition of the patient deteriorated at 5pm and the “doctor was concerned”, but the ambulance driver was on a leave of absence, according to the petition.

The hospital did not have a replacement for the driver, according to the petition. The doctor, however, had requested an ambulance from the Phuentsholing hospital.




The patient, according to the petition, reached the Phuentsholing hospital at 11.50 pm, where it was found that the urinary bladder had raptured, according to the petition.

The doctor treated the patient as “RTA (renal tubular acidosis) brought in shock”, according to the petition.

The patient died on the day he was brought to the Phuentsholing although he was given emergency care.

A copy of the petition has been forwarded to the dzongkhag health office. An official from Samtse said that the issue was being looked into by the drungpa.




Dorokha Drungpa Karma Jurmi said that the issue was being looked into “seriously and a thorough investigation would be carried out”. He also said that health officials were engaged in activities.

“I have forwarded the case to the drungkhag,” Dophuchen Gup Phuntsho said.

The medical officer in-charge of the Dorokha hospital was not available for comment.