By the end of September, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in Thimphu will reduce the waiting time for patients obtaining tokens. The Ministry of Health will ensure that tokens are provided to all patients within 20 minutes.
Corresponding to the growing public concerns over patient wait times, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has added two new counters, including two doctors’ chambers with specialists at the JDWNRH. These measures are part of a strategic plan to significantly cut down the duration that patients are currently spending while seeking medical services.
During the 6th meet-the-press session, Health Minister Tandin Wangchuk said that the JDWNRH currently operates 25 token counters, including two each for medical, general, dental, mother and child services, and one each for orthopedics and pediatric services. However, the minister said that the medical counters have been particularly facing challenges, leading to average waiting times for patients of approximately 2-3 hours.
The minister said that patients have been seen lining up as early as 7:00 a.m., despite token distribution only beginning at 9:00 a.m. “This has contributed to long queues and frustrations for many individuals who arrive early but later they have to return home as tokens for the day have already been finished.”
To address these pressing concerns, the minister said that the ministry has added two more token counters for the medical outpatient department (OPD) and general. Additionally, the ministry has also created a common counter for blood and urine tests. The Health Minister also shared that efforts are underway to clear confusion among patients about the token lines, thereby minimizing inconveniences faced by patients while procuring tokens.
The minister also shared that in order to further ease the long queuing of patients; automatic token machines have been installed, allowing patients to obtain their tokens without physically visiting the counters, thereby reducing the long queues.
With the implementation of these initiatives, the ministry aims to ensure that a token is distributed to a patient within a time of 20 minutes. The ministry has also put in extra tokens enough to cover patients whoever visits the hospital.
The minister also shared that the development of the new counters is already underway, with all work expected to be completed by September. These improvements are expected to lead to shorter waiting times and better experiences for patients at JDWNRH. “With all these efforts, we want to make sure patients get the care they need on time,” the health minister said.
The minister also reiterated the critical role that JDWNRH plays as the last line of defense for patients, emphasizing that if the hospital’s services are compromised, there are no other alternatives available for patients to seek services.
By Nidup Lhamo, Thimphu
