Bhutan and ADB Launch Construction of Satellite Clinics at Babena, Thimphu

New Delhi: Bhutan’s Ministry of Health and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) held a groundbreaking ceremony today for the construction of satellite clinics in urban peripheries in Thimphu and Phuentsholing. The project has been supported by a $20 million Health Sector Development Program of ADB.

The satellite clinics are expected to decongest patient load at the National Referral Hospital and streamline the referral pathway.

“The satellite clinics will aid in narrowing the gap in terms of improving access to health care and outreach services in urban pockets of the capital,” said Health Minister Lyonpo Dasho Dechen Wangmo, who graced the event.

“The construction of the satellite clinic at Babena and four other clinics will contribute to improved primary health care services in underserved areas. Specifically, the clinics in Thimphu are expected to decongest the patient flow at the national referral hospital,” said Officer-in-Charge of ADB’s Bhutan Resident Mission Ricardo Carlos Barba.

The project aims to improve equity, efficiency, and sustainability of Bhutan’s health system by augmenting access to primary health care services and improving the existing health information system. It supports the key result areas of Bhutan’s Twelfth Five-Year Plan, 2018–2023 in creating a healthier nation through free, equitable, and quality health care for every Bhutanese.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.