The health system has been in place for a good number of years, but not everyone seems to have availed of the services.
And the few lesser privileged are the ones who have either been divided by nature’s harsh terrains, or those who did not even have money enough to travel out of their villages to visit health facilities.
Therefore, these groups of people who live in the remotest regions are deprived of even the most basic of health facilities for many years.
Presently, one such problem is solved at Samtse Dzongkhag with His Majesty’s People’s Project which conducted a three-day program of medical check-up called Kidu Mobile Medical Unit where people are undergoing check-ups as of now.
Currently, this is underway in four gewogs under Samtse Dzongkhag such as Norgaygang, Pemaling, Tendruk and Tashichhoeling.
The total population of these four gewogs comes around 15,000 to 20,000 people.
Around 700 people gathered for the check-ups and availed the services. The program started since 24 January with a team of medical professionals comprising four members.
Talking with Tendruk gewog Gup Pema Wangchuk, he said, people are blessed to get such health facilities at home, they could hardly go to hospitals despite the level of seriousness with which they suffered and required check-ups.
He said the health program is basically Kidu from His Majesty the fifth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck for the benefit of the people and to help the poorest of the poor who are beyond the reach of the health facilities in the country.
Under the current program even services like Ultra Sound, UTI check-ups and many more essential health services are available which includes even a Gynecologist. The gynecologist is among the four medical professionals.
The medical check-up program starts from morning 8 am and lasts till 7 or 8 pm in the evening.
Tendruk gewog is 75 kms away from Samtse Dzongkhag, which means people here, if they happen to visit Samtse Hospital, would have had to travel long distances to avail the services.
Gup Pema Wangchuk said, people who can afford to go there, do go but not all people can go there. Financial problems are the main reason.
However, he also said, people here hardly care to visit health centers and in fact they are not aware of the health care system especially the old and disabled people.
While for some who care about their health but could not meet the expenses of traveling, they are happy to have medical professionals to visit the village and screen out the diseases and get treated.
The Gup shared that people are grateful to His Majesty for such facilities in the village. “Some people are even shedding tears out of happiness to get opportunity to see doctors at home and do treatment without having to go out from their villages,” the Gup said.
The program is conducted at Tendruk gewog and ends today and the next visit will be continued in other gewogs.