Health care sustainability is a growing concern in Bhutan, with our Constitution requiring the state to provide access to basic health services for all Bhutanese citizens. Free Health care, a dream for many countries is a reality in Bhutan. But for how long?
I as a civil servant and as a citizen of Bhutan am equally concerned about this as are many others. And we cannot always rely on the Government to help us. We should help ourselves. And I believe some preventive and supportive measures might be the solution. Also involving the community, especially the youth would be the another solution.
The first way we can do so is with some preventive measures. Sanitation and Health are the two sides of a coin. In order to keep the citizens of the country happier, a country must invest on sanitation. And by sanitation, it would refer mostly to having better toilet facilities and better drinking water connections. If these two are fulfilled, the health of an average citizen will greatly improve thereby availing lesser health facilities. Bhutan Toilet and Clean Bhutan are trying hard to educate us in this journey. And the formal education systems also have measures in place.
Secondly we must go with some supportive measures. Every civil servant has to contribute a certain percentage if his salary as Health Contribution. In my case I contribute about 1.2 % of my salary as HC. The deductions are decided not by the Individual but by the government. And in the case of 1.2% it is a negligible amount for me, as it will be for all civil servants.
20 to 30 years ago, when Bhutan was in the earlier stages of Development, Free Health Care was a visionary idea for the citizens. And it was the need of the hour, as the majority of Bhutanese were illiterate. But it has changed. With Free Education everyone in Bhutan is literate. They are conscious of their health too.
Bhutan Health Trust Fund, does try their best but for how long can we have programs such as ‘Move for Health’ or Bhutan Lottery, or rely on donations from individuals and other institutions? It is time we take action in our own hands and increase our personal health contributions.
And Lastly, there needs to be more health advocacy in the rural areas. It is mostly the rural poor who are affected by major health complications and need health care. And the two best ways to reach them is through the health workers and children.
Health workers could travel and do door to door advocacy in each villages. And the children can be introduced to advocacy programs in schools. We do have Health Clubs in schools but their level of advocacy is too less. We must train the children to become health ambassadors and take health education back to their homes and villages. And later on in life, when they grow up, they themselves will become conscious of health.
Thus these measures could be adopted to ensure health care sustainability in Bhutan. If we are willing to take individual responsibilities, we can overcome any obstacle.
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