NEW DELHI: Prayers and ceremonies are being offered on a daily basis to ward off the threat of the COVID-19 in the entire Himalayan Kingdom — Bhutan — sandwiched between China, where the virus originated, and India, where the virus’ impact is still on a high.
It is the free universal health care — a key pillar of the country’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) philosophy — proved to be its first line of defense for its “patient zero”.
Health in Bhutan is one of the government’s highest priorities and the state provides free universal health care in Bhutan since the 1970s.
After its first two cases, Bhutan immediately began tracking and testing anyone who had come into contact with the tourists. Had it not been for the strong initiative taken by its king, government and citizens, the country of around 750,000 may have faced a terrible fate.
Meanwhile, many Bhutanese students were returning home from highly-infected countries around the world, ahead of the various national lockdowns. Bhutan’s potential exposure to COVID-19 was also matched by the high risk of the virus spreading within its borders.
The country has a shortage of doctors, with just over 300 serving in the whole country. Its Ministry of Health also counts just one ICU expert, a handful of chest specialists, and a few laboratory experts.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) did provide an initial round of testing kits but there remain shortages, and a dearth of ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE).
The first case in Bhutan was reported on March 6, when a 76-year-old US tourist tested positive.
Meanwhile, the Buddhist Kingdom’s strong sense of community kicked in.
Private hoteliers offered their premises for free, businesses offered cash contributions, farmers and farming co-ops offered up agricultural products, and restaurants provided food free of charge. Collaborating with the government, locals helped set up the quarantine zones in villages, with makeshift isolation huts built of bamboo.
Despite its few cases, Bhutan did not refrain from making challenging preventative decisions early. On March 22, the king decided to shut the country’s borders, with provisions to enable the entry of essential goods.
By mid-April, several more cases were reported. All were students who had returned from the UK and United States. But so far, no cases have been locally transmitted.
India takes pride that Sikkim is totally COVID-19 free. However, an entire country next door has prevented fatalities and contained the widespread outbreak of the dreaded disease which has taken thousands of lives across the globe.