Heart Centre in Thimphu

The Ministry of Health has opened the country’s first-ever Heart Centre at the National Referral Hospital in Thimphu. The ministry plans to upgrade the centre to a cardiology department with more services in future.

The centre will provide services such as diagnosing and treating heart diseases that do not require significant surgeries and other services towards the prevention and treatment of heart attacks.

For patients who have abnormal heartbeats, who require pacemaker implants can also be done here. And for patients who have congenital heart disease, by birth they have some hole in the heart, or some who have acquired valvular heart disease that is leaking can be closed or the valves can be replaced with minimally invasive surgery.

The national referral hospital refers 90 per cent of the patients with heart complications overseas for treatment spending around Nu 1bn annually.

The Centre has one interventional cardiologist and ten trained nurses. One more cardiologist who is currently undergoing specialist training in Thailand is expected to join the team soon.