Donation: Yeshi Tshering, 79, from Tongzhang village in Trashiyangtse, donated a single-cabin Bolero pickup truck to Mongar Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) to be used as a hearse.

After a lhapsang and thrisoel ceremony, Mongar Dzongdag Ugyen Sonam handed over the truck to MRRH.

Yeshi Tshering’s son Ngawang Namgyel said his father, who is old and religious, visits MRRH for regular checkups. He had come across people struggling to find a vehicle to transport the dead.

“My father was a businessman and so couldn’t do much for society,” said Ngawang Namgyel. “He wanted to do something useful in his twilight years.”

Ngawang Namgyel runs a general shop in Mongar town.

Administrative officer of MRRH, Karma Yeshi, said the truck Yeshi Tshering donated to the hospital will be used as a hearse for people who cannot afford a private vehicle.

The hospital until recently had just one Maruti van that was used as a hearse. The van was donated by Zimdra in 2006.

Tashi Phuntsho