Neten Dorji | Trashigang

Local leaders of Trashigang requested dialysis service for kidney patients at the dzongkhag hospital during the recent dzongkhag tshogdu.

Given the size of the dzongkhag and its population, Kanglung gup, Kinzang Dorji, said that kidney treatment services are needed in the dzongkhag hospital.  “Without dialysis services at the hospital today, most patients end up going to Mongar or Thimphu for the service.”

Kinzang Dorji said that it is a burden for patients who are economically disadvantaged, adding that service will not only reduce pressure on family members but also help address the economic and social difficulties faced by the kidney patients in dzongkhag.

Local leaders said that the service would also benefit dzongkhags such as Mongar, Trashiyangtse, and Pemagathsel.

Leki Dorji, who is a relative of a kidney patient, said that it was difficult to get appointments in Thimphu and sometimes machines aren’t working. “For many patients and families, it is expensive to go to Mongar for dialysis service.”

He said that without dialysis service in the nearby health facility, they are facing problems related to transportation, food, and lodging.

Dzongkhag Senior Health Officer, Lobzang Tshering, said that the prime minister had promised a dialysis machine for the hospital. “We expect to receive it soon.”

He said that 10 kidney patients from Trashigang, five from Samdrupjongkhar, and two each from Pemagatshel and Trashiyangtse are currently availing dialysis services in the regional referral hospital in Mongar.

Dialysis treatment is a process where the function of a kidney is replicated by a machine. The machine removes body waste by pumping a patient’s blood into the machine, filtering the toxic substances, and sending it back into the body.