In an unprecedented move, within weeks of assuming office, the newly elected parliamentarians across party lines in Bhutan came together and resolved to accelerate efforts to prevent and control noncommunicable diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart diseases and cancer, as a national priority.
Organized by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization in Thimphu on 12 December 2018, the high-level Parliamentary Forum, adopted a 11-point action plan to address noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), focusing on multi-sectoral measures.
Chaired by the Speaker Lyonpo Wangchuck Namgyel, the Forum was attended by Finance Minister, Health Minister, 26 members of parliament, community-based organization and media, among others.
“The initiative demonstrates Bhutan’s strong political commitment and whole of society approach to reverse the noncommunicable disease epidemics,” said Dr Rui Paolo de Jesus, WHO Representative to Bhutan.
The forum emphasized on effective implementation of public policies, laws and regulatory measures to tackle risk factors such as alcohol and tobacco, and promotion of healthy diet and physical activity.
Guided by the philosophy of Gross National Happiness, NCD prevention and control is central to Bhutan’s plans for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Agenda, aimed at eradicating poverty, promoting peace, and leaving no one behind, targets one-third reduction in premature deaths from NCDs by 2030.
The parliamentarians reiterated that people-centered care should be at the core of Bhutan’s primary health care system, and the current health services should be revisited and diversified at all levels to address the NCD burden. NCDs are a national concern, accounting for 69% of the total deaths and a leading cause of preventable deaths.
Emphasizing on the need for a multisectoral approach, the forum said other ministries and local government administrations should be encouraged to integrate proactive NCD prevention activities in their annual developmental workplans, while more funds should be allocated for NCD prevention.
The ‘outcome document’ from the Forum said significant gains against NCDs could be made by strengthening holistic healthy lifestyle interventions at schools, workplaces and at the community level, and through engagement of civil societies, nongovernmental stakeholders and people living with NCDs.
“The road ahead presents immense opportunity to innovate and act,” said Mr. Namgyel “I call on the nation to build a shared vision of a healthy and happy society through limiting the damage caused by preventable chronic diseases. By acting collectively and in a coordinated manner we can see dividends in terms of lives saved, reduced number of orphans and fewer household with economic difficulties.”
Capitalizing on global momentum against NCDs in recent years, the Royal Government of Bhutan implemented the commitments made in the 2011 UN High Level Political Declaration and adopted strategies to reduce premature mortality due to NCDs. The national multisectoral NCD action plan was endorsed in July 2015 - a blue print to reduce NCD risk factors through a ‘whole of government/society approach by 2020.
Bhutan is the first country in the WHO South-East Asian Region to implement WHO’s package of essential noncommunicable disease interventions (WHO PEN) for primary health care in low-resource settings.
Bhutan receives integrated support from WHO to fast-track progress on achieving the nine global NCD targets, including reducing premature death from NCDs by 25% by 2025, and the NCD-related targets in the 2030 Agenda. There is considerable progress in collective efforts by various sectors for addressing NCDs.
The 11 priority actions endorsed by the Forum are aligned towards the SDG targets and, most importantly, to ensure that “by 2030, all Bhutanese live a fuller life, with better quality, in a resilient society, in the true state of Gross National Happiness in the Kingdom”.