Established as a lone medical dispensary unit with just two staff in the late 1960s, today there is at least one traditional medicine service unit in every district and close to 50 Dungtshos (doctors) and 93 Menpas ( health worker) serving across the country.
More Bhutanese are found seeking traditional medicine services over the years. So as the National Traditional Medicine Hospital (NTMH) marked its 50 years of service on June 2, it launched first in-patient service to provide quality healthcare.
The 10-bedded in-patient service unit will be providing cleansing therapy for chronic hypertension, sinusitis, diabetic and arthritis patients that are not available in modern medical services.
The five eliminative or cleansing therapies include purgation, emesis- cleansing by vomiting, nasal cleansing and two types of enema: decoction and oil enema to clean the intestines.
“The in-patient service is designed based on Ley-Nga which means five therapeutic procedures. This therapy is very important for cleansing the body through the nasal cavity, stomach, respiratory cavity, anus. These therapies are very effective for most of the patients” said Karma Gaylek, Medicial Superintendent of National Traditional Medicine Hospital.
A 20 bedded in-patient unit will be established in the 12th Five-Year-Plan. The hospital made a proposal, which was approved by the government.
Acupuncture, a therapeutic treatment for patients with neurological disorders such as those suffering from migraine was also launched during the hospital’s golden jubilee occasion. It is a component of the traditional medicine in which thin needles are inserted into the body. The hospital had been giving the service since 2014 but its use was not legalised until recently.
“We gave the acupuncture treatment generally to those having neurological problems such as migraine, even those having backache, knee and joint pains and for gout patients,” explained Tharpala, Dungtsho with NTMH.
To prevent diseases and promote health and wellbeing, the hospital also launched Zhiney & Luejong (Meditation and Exercise) in its meditation hall. The hospital has trained two Dungtshos and seven Menpas on Zhiney and has a standard guideline to ensure standard practices and services.
Over five decades of its service, the Department of Traditional Medicine has established 65 traditional medicine service units across the country. The National Traditional Medicine Hospital in Thimphu sees about close to 100,000 patients in a year on an average. This excludes the number of people visiting the district units.
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