TIL BDR GHALLEY
Samtse

In the remote village of Tempaling chiwog, a closed health sub-post has turned routine illnesses into life-or-death emergencies, leaving over 1,000 residents to face medical crises with no immediate care.

Residents of this isolated community in Tading gewog, Samtse, continue to grapple with severe challenges in accessing healthcare as the local sub-post has remained shut for nearly four years due to a shortage of health staff.

The Tading sub-post, once a vital facility for the community, has been vacant since 2022. Designed to be manned by a health assistant, the centre has remained locked, depriving more than 115 households and over 1,000 residents of immediate medical care.

For decades, the sub-post served as the first point of treatment for villagers. Its closure has forced people to rely on distant health facilities or infrequent outreach clinics.

Tempaling is about one hour and forty minutes’ drive from Phuentsholing. While connected by a motorable road, access is possible only during the dry season. In the monsoon, the Purbay river swells and, without a bridge, cuts off the road entirely.

This seasonal isolation often turns medical emergencies into life-or-death situations.

“During the rainy season, when the river rises, we cannot go out at all,” said Subash Tamang, the current tshogpa of Tempaling. “If someone falls sick or has an emergency, we have no choice but to wait or risk our lives trying to cross. It is painful to see my people suffer.”

Health services are currently routed through Panbari Public Health Centre (PHC), nearly 30 kilometers away. The PHC conducts monthly outreach clinics in Tempaling, but health officials say this is far from adequate.

“We conduct the outreach program near the ORC that covers five villages, but it is challenging,” said Rup Narayan Adhikari, a health assistant at Panbari PHC.

“Our centre is supposed to have three staff, but we only have two. We applied through the gewog and tshogpas to reopen the Tading sub-post, but due to shortage of staff, it could not be done.”

The shortage has strained Panbari PHC itself. “We have to cater to five outreach centres in Tading gewog, and sometimes the PHC remains closed when we go out. Roadblocks and deteriorating road conditions also make travel extremely difficult,” Adhikari explained.

“The two of us are covering huge areas, and when we attend trainings or meetings, patients have to wait.”

According to Adhikari, the Tading sub-post was closed after its lone staff member was regularized and transferred in 2022.

For Tempaling residents, this absence has already cost lives. Tshogpa Subash Tamang recalled two incidents during his tenure when patients died on the way to Phuentsholing Hospital.

“It is so painful to see people dying in front of my eyes because medical help could not reach in time,” he said. “If the sub-post were reopened, many lives could be saved.”

He added that living in a border area comes with additional risks, including encounters with wild elephants.

“If any emergency occurs, it takes hours to reach Phuentsholing. Even minor injuries can become life-threatening,” he said.

Former tshogpa Damber Singh Tamang said the issue has persisted for years despite repeated appeals.

“We raised this matter with the gewog and dzongkhag administration many times, but nothing has changed,” he said.

“Our people are suffering in silence. For a village of over a thousand people, not having a health centre is a huge risk. Reopening the sub-post is not a luxury; it is a necessity for survival.”

He emphasized that even a small intervention could make a major difference. “We are not asking for a hospital; we are asking for at least one health worker in our sub-post. One person could save countless lives here.”

Despite the closure, villagers have not given up hope. According to Tshogpa Subash, residents continue to carry out routine cleaning and minor maintenance of the locked sub-post, believing their efforts may one day help secure its reopening.

For now, however, the building stands silent, a stark reminder of what was once a lifeline for Tempaling.

Until health staff are appointed and services are restored, villagers say they remain vulnerable to emergencies and preventable tragedies.