Neten Dorji | Trashiyangtse

Residents of Tarphel chiwog in Bumdeling, Trashiyangtse say it is about time the locality’s outreach clinic (ORC) was upgraded to a basic health unit (BHU).

The residents have to walk for more than three hours to the BHU in Bumdeling for health services. Health officials visit the ORC once a month to conduct health check ups.

Tarphel-Shingphel Tshogpa, Tshering Dorji, said that when people had to carry patients on back or stretcher for more than two hours to road point. “Last year, we evacuated 20 patients to the Bumdeling BHU.”

He said that evacuating patient was difficult during monsoon season.

Tarphel Chiwog is the only chiwog in Bumdeling gewog without road connection.

Villagers said that they had been requesting gewog and dzongkhag officials for a BHU.

Chencho Pelmo,a villager, said that Bumdeling BHU did not have female nurse and was inconvenient for women.

Chorten, 53, said that the village should get attention from government like highlanders of Sakteng, Merak, Lingzhi and Laya because they also guarded the border areas.

The issue was also discussed during the recently concluded Dzongkhag Tshogdu.

Dzongkhag health officials said that there was also shortage of human resource.