PMAC side meeting – financing of primary health care in Southeast Asia Region
On 22 January 2024, PMAC side meeting – financing of primary health care in Southeast Asia Region was held in Bangkok, Thailand. This event was co-organized by WHO South-East Asia Region, Chulalongkorn University, and Mahidol University. In this side meeting, P4H...
Bhutan has allocated 12 percent of the total budget to health for the next financial year
A total of USD 134 million has been allocated to the health sector for the financial year 2022-2023, which accounted for 12.9 percent of the total government budget. The budget has been earmarked for Covid-19 related expenditures such as COVID-19 containment measures,...
Service initiative to reduce financial burden and increase accessibility in Bhutan
To reduce waiting time and travel cost of health services, the Service with Care and Compassion Initiative (SCCI) adopted from World Health Organization’s PEN-Hearts technical package* has been implemented in Bhutan. SSCI uses a patient centric approach. Dagapela...
COVID related services are increasing in high risk areas in Bhutan
In Bhutan, provision of COVID related services, such as screening, quarantine, and treatment, has been prioritized and increased in high risk areas. The National Five-Year Plan is supporting and addressing some challenges such as a shortage of specialists. To read...
Bhutan aims to stabilize budget allocation to health
Since 2000, health budget in Bhutan has been decreasing and fluctuating between 3.55-5 percent of GDP. Now the Government of Bhutan aims to address this challenge to stabilize health budget relative to GDP. To read more, please click. Source: Kuensel Online...
New documents on Bhutan National Health Accounts (2018-2020)
National Health Accounts (NHA) provide the information about the flow of resources and funds of the country’s health system. NHA illustrates national health spending of the country from public and private sector, including household spending. Thus, NHA is useful for...
Health sector reforms in Bhutan
Bhutan plans for the health sector reforms, aiming to deliver more equitable, efficient, effective, and high-quality health services to respond to changes in disease patterns and demographic structures. Ministry of Health will submit the reform proposal going through...
Mulitisectoral collaborration in addressing priority health issues in Bhutan
Bhutan prioritizes the mass screening program for cervical, breast, and gastric cancer as national issues and plans to achieve 100 percent coverage. Early detection through the screening program could save lives as well as cost of treatment. To achieve the mass...
Bhutan to achieve herd immunity by first week of October
Bhutan will reach herd immunity by early October. Currently, over 80 percent of the total population has been fully vaccinated. In addition, the second dose of vaccine will be inoculated to approximately 60,000 children age between 12- and 17-year during September 14...
Bhutan considering third dose of Covid-19 vaccine booster next year
Bhutan considers a booster dose of Covid-19 vaccines next year due to Delta variant concerns. Bhutan has achieved full vaccination for over 95 percent of the population aged 18 years or over. Currently, Bhutan starts inoculating children aged between 12 to...
Bhutan expands quarantine centers to control COVID-19
Bhutan constructs 1,000-bed capacity temporary quarantine centers, which expect to be finished by the end of September 2021. Meanwhile, 2,500-bed permanent quarantine centers plan to be constructed in September 2021 and expect to be...
New document on Bhutan’s experience with COVID-19 vaccination in 2021
Bhutan is country which has a good control of COVID pandemic with reported 957 cases of COVID-19 and one death, while 94 percent of adults population has been vaccinated in April 2021. This article aims to describes the challenges and enabling...
Bhutan’s Vaccination Program Scales New Heights
Bhutan has reach 90 percent of vaccination of adults population. Although Bhutan's small population would help for achieving the fast vaccination coverage, the country also benefited from strong and effective messaging from top officials and an established...
Bhutan earmarks Nu 3 billion to response COVID-19
The Bhutan government has earmarked a budget of Nu 3 billion to response COVID-19. This earmarked budget will be allocated to containment related expenses such as quarantine expenses, procurement of test kits, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and...
Notification: Prevention and containment of COVID-19 in Bhutan
With the first confirmed case of COVID-19 reported in Bhutan on March 5th 2020, the containment and prevention of the virus became the government´s priority. The Ministry of Finance in keeping of the Public Finance (Amendment) Act 2012 and of the Disaster Management...