ANNUAL HEALTH BULLETIN 2004 - Ministry of Health

Introduction
The laboratory services, preferably be called national laboratory services grew up side
by side along with development of preventive and curative health services in Bhutan
since the inception of planned development in the early sixties. With a very modest
beginning, there are now various levels of laboratories in the country provid :ng from
very basic services in basic health units (BHUs) to sophisticated tests and equipments
providing wider range of services at the National Referral Hospital laboratory at
Thimphu. Except at the central level where there is a separate public health laboratory
(PHL), public health laboratory activities are appropriately merged with clinical
laboratories at the district hospitals and BHUs.
Organization
The clinical laboratory services in the country are under the administrative umbrella of
the Health Care and Diagnostic (HCD) Services division under the Department of
Medical Services (DMS). The head of Pathology and Laboratory Services unit at
JDWNR Hospital, Thimphu is technically responsible for the overall guidance and
supervision of the laboratory activities in the country.
At present the JDWNR hospital laboratory is headed by a pathologist and assisted by
about 66 technologists and technicians. The regional referral hospitals have 4-6
technicians and 1-2 technicians man the Dzongkhag hospitals. A few of the BHU-I are
manned by one laboratory technician.
The laboratory services organization is pyramidal in shape viz the Central Laboratory at
Thimphu forming the apex and the BHU laboratories forming the base. The
intermediate level laboratories are those of the two regional referral hospitals at
Gelephug and Mongar and twenty-six other district hospitals across the country.
At the central level, there is one public health laboratory, administratively under the
Department of Public Health.
Vision
To provide excellent laboratory services essential for patient care and diseases
intervention with accurate, reliable and timely laboratory results and information.
Mission
• Upgrade and equip the Central Laboratory in terms of technology and human
resources and make it comparable to any accredited laboratory in the region.
• Upgrade the Regional Referral Hospital laboratories and make them equipped
enough to act as the regional referral laboratories
• Equip all district hospitals and grade I BHU laboratories with basic laboratory
•• services like biochemistry, hematology and blood transfusion.
• Develop different laboratory specialties in terms of personnel and services as
required.