The new hospital project is part of the 111th National Day Footprints Initiatives

Lhakpa Quendren

Samtse—While the construction of the 20-bed Tashicholing Hospital in Samtse is now 90 percent complete, it is likely to miss its scheduled completion by October 20 this year.

All essential civil works—including water and solid waste treatment plants, a single-storey kitchen, a medical store, and an electrical panel room—have been completed.

However, critical site development activities such as blacktopping are yet to begin. The specialised installations including heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, medical gas pipeline systems, firefighting systems, water control systems, and IT networking are also pending.

The Construction Development Corporation Limited (CDCL), responsible for the project, has indicated a need for a deadline extension to ensure thorough testing and commissioning of the specialised systems.

Officials estimate the project may run one to two months behind schedule.

Samtse’s Dzongkhag Engineer Samten Norbu said that a final meeting will soon be held with CDCL management to finalise the budget and confirm the project handover date, currently anticipated for October.

“As the CDCL has not proposed a formal timeline extension, we are optimistic about completing the project within the timeframe,” he said.

CL has assigned additional engineers and extended work hours, with some teams working until 11pm. The project management provides monthly progress updates to the dzongkhag administration.

The two-storey structure, measuring 88 meters long and 54 meters wide, is expected to accommodate over 40 beds—20 more than the planned capacity.

Although a large project, the construction duration is just 30 months, having started in April 2022, with a workforce of over 120 local and imported laborers.

Sprawling over seven acres at the dog-leg turn of the Samtse-Tendu highway, below the existing 10-bedded hospital, the project is being undertaken with an approved budget of Nu 500 million—an increase from the initial estimate of Nu 464 million.

Of the Nu 400 million released in four tranches, Nu 358 million—about 80 percent—had been utilised by August, with the remaining Nu 100 million earmarked for specialised activities.

Frequent staff turnover, particularly in specialised roles, contributed to the delays. For instance, about four engineers left for Australia while electrical engineers were changed three times, requiring incoming staff to take time to get up to speed.

The CDCL’s project manager, Chandra Prakash, declined to comment on inquiries regarding delays.

The planning and design for the hospital were completed in 2019, with specifications outsourced to consultants due to a lack of expertise within the dzongkhag administration following the transfer of hospital administration from the health ministry.

The CDCL was selected for construction to ensure that specialised requirements were met and to maintain high quality standards, especially after previous concerns at the Samtse General Hospital, Gelephu, and Mongar regional hospitals.

Once completed, the Tashicholing Hospital will serve about 36,000 residents from the five gewogs in Tashichhoeling Dungkhag—Pemaling, Namgaychholing, Norgaygang, and Tendruk, along with nearby gewogs Yoeseltse and Sangngagchogling, as well as the newly established Jamtsholing Gyalsung Academy.

Meanwhile, residents expressed their relief with the hospital nearing completion. “It will take some months to start the services, but we are finally getting a new hospital that will be equipped with a set of medical services without the need to travel to Samtse,” said Ambar Gurung, a resident.

The residents rely on the limited facilities of a 10-bed hospital built in 1956 that has been facing bed shortages and water supply issues, while the long travel distance along a pothole-riddled highway makes patient transportation even more challenging.

The new hospital project is part of the 111th National Day Footprints Initiatives.