Former health minister Sangay Ngedup honoured

In recogniation of their path-breaking interventions that helped improve the health and well-being of people in their countries, the World Health Organisation South-East Asia Region yesterday conferred the Excellence in Public Health awards to former health and education minister Sangay Ngedup and former President of Timor-Leste Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao.

Former minister Sangay Ngedup is recognised for setting up the Bhutan Health Trust Fund (BHTF), to fund vaccines and essential drugs when he served as the director general of Health Services.

Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao, who is currently the Minister of Planning and Strategic Investment, has been awarded for building sustainable health services, specifically in training medical doctors.

“The award is an appreciation and acknowledgement of their significant contributions to health care services,” Regional Director WHO South-East Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh said at an event on the sidelines of the WHO Regional Committee meeting in Dili, Timor-Leste. The award comprises of a citation and a plaque.

Sangay Ngedup, who became the director general of Health Services in 1992 and the health and education minister in 1998, brought unprecedented development in the health sector, both quantitatively and qualitatively, states the WHO press release.

During a decade of dedicated service, he oversaw the expansion of health infrastructure as well as health services and left behind the legacy of the BHTF.

Health ministry officials said that the BHTF was the former minister’s brainchild and its main purpose was to put aside a sufficient amount of funds in a trust to ensure the continued funding of two critical components of health services – vaccines and essential drugs. The target capital required for BHTF was estimated at about USD 24 million (M) to accrue the returns that could sufficiently fund the requirements for vaccines and essential drugs for the whole country.

The Trust Fund was established through a Royal Kasho in 1997 to ensure the future provision of preventive and curative health services to the people, independent of the government or donor funding.

In an interview with Kuensel in October 2000, Sangay Ngedup had said that the concept of BHTF arose out of concerns over the sustainability of the present health care system, especially the essential drugs and vaccines, which are the backbone of primary health. He added that the government provides free health care beyond its capacity whereby patients requiring referral or specialised services are referred outside the country.

To raise awareness and support for BHTF, both from within the country and abroad, former mnister Sangay Ngedup undertook the Move for Health, an arduous task of walking from Trashigang in the east of the country to Thimphu, the capital in the west, chalking up a distance of more than 560 kilometers on foot along ancient tracks, and carrying his own rations required for the entire journey of 15 days.

Today, BHTF is close to its target of USD 24M and, in a recent move by the government, the health contribution of all employees is now channelled into BHTF, making it large enough and sustainable to guarantee the availability of all vaccines in the national immunisation programme, and all medicines on the national essential drugs list.

As the President of the country in 2003, Mr Gusmao, had signed a historic agreement with Cuba for building sustainable health system and training medical doctors in Timor-Leste.  Two years later, he signed another agreement with Cuba to train 1,000 Timorese medical doctors. Today all 42 villages in the country have at least one doctor in each of their health centers and health posts.

The WHO awards were initiated last year to recognise public health professionals or institution/ programme, whose work had resulted in far-reaching implications and gains.

Source: Kuenselonline

Taktsang Zhenta Detsuen’s positive impact

The coming together of horse owners, in Tsento Gewog under Paro Dzongkhag, to form an association, has brought about positive impacts in horse riding business.

The members say after the formation of the group, their riding business has become systematic and efficient.

“Previously, some would get to go around twice in a day, while some, who were shy and less experienced, wouldn’t even get a single customer,” said the group’s chairman, Rinchen Dorji.

He said after the association was formed every member gets equal opportunities to make money since the horses are sent out in order of a list.

Horse owners of Tsento Gewog came together to form Taktsang Zhenta Detsuen in March, this year. The 27-member group has established an office at the base of Taktshang.

Members have to bring their horses and the office assigns them with their daily duties.

The group has around 170 horses which are assigned in order.

“I have to open the office by 6:30 AM. When customers come in, I take their order and distribute their orders accordingly,” said the association’s accountant, Thinley.

The horse-owners are now able to concentrate more on their services without having to worry about finding customers.

“Earlier when there was no group there were a lot of problems. We couldn’t concentrate on the quality of our services. Since this group was started everything started to work smoothly,” said a member, Phub Dorji.

Customers have to pay Nu 660 per horse regardless of the business season.

Horse-owners get Nu 600, while Nu 60 is deposited in the association’s Bank account.

The group plans to initiate other small projects, such as a canteen, from the money saved in the bank.


Source: BBS

Bhutan’s saving unique written culture

Traditional calligraphy and xylography in the country are on terminal decline with increasing population being exposed to computers and electronic gadgets, researchers said.

In an attempt to preserve the traditional calligraphic, xyllographic and print culture in the country, experts from around the country are working on the National Library and Archives of Bhutan’s (NLAB) three-year project. German Bhutan Himalaya Society is funding the first phase with Nu 2.16 million.

They are conducting a research on historical significance of ancient calligraphy and xylographic print culture, and making videos of the calligraphic skills. The national library would also have a small museum with various exhibits collected during their research.

The project is divided in to two phases of 18 months each. In the first phase that ends in December 2016, besides collecting initial samples, the researchers would compile and produce a draft book.

One of the researchers and the project consultant, Gregor Verhufen said that the country has a unique written script, a vast and great tradition now threatened by the explosion of technology.

Gregor Verhufen is a German researcher on Tibetan language and culture including its neighbours and has helped create a digital catalogue of the 140,000 texts in the national library in a 10-year project in the early 2000.

“Mgyogs yig (jo-yig), a script introduced to Bhutan by a disciple of Guru Padmasambhawa, Denma Tsemang during the Guru’s second visit is unique to this country,” Gregor said.

However, an English explorer in 1907 discovered a sample of the script in a monastery now called Dunhuang, on the old silk route, in China.

“So the question is how did the script reach thousand of miles away from here, which is interesting to research,” he said. “This is not just significant from a religious point but also from the cultural side.”

Chief research officer of NLAB, (Dr) Yonten Dargye said the project could not lose any more time. “There are still few experts on the writing culture and we would document every aspect of it for preservation,” he said.

“Few years down the line, we may not be able to achieve what we can today.”

Researchers said that without proper research and documentation, the significance of this heritage that forefathers valued may not be properly understood and appreciated by future generations.

Given that great Buddhist masters introduced the preponderance of this heritage to establish national identity, it is important that the most accurate information possible is gathered, analysed, and documented for posterity, researchers said.

The book has eight chapters on topics including traditional paper-making, ink, pen, origin of the Bhutanese script (Mgyogs-yig), xylography, and printing texts, among others.\

Source: Kuenselonline.com

Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay yesterday refused to receive the revised salary

Surprising parliamentarians and the people, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay yesterday refused to receive the revised salary, and announced that he would donate the additional Nu 50,000 from his revised monthly salary to charity.

While presenting the State of the Nation report to Parliament, lyonchhoen said many people have criticised the salary for members of parliament and cabinet ministers.

“I’ll not defend the increase or argue whether it’s too high or not,” lyonchhoen said. “However, on the prime minister’s (PM) salary, I also agree that it’s too high.”

“Our country can’t afford it and my conscience will not be able to accept it,” lyonchhoen said.

Lyonchhoen stated that he would be accepting the salary equivalent to that received by the cabinet ministers, and the additional monthly amount of Nu 50,000 would be donated to charity organisations at the end of his five-year term.

“There’s no motive, I’m just driven by the understanding that the PM’s salary was too high,” lyonchhoen told Kuensel.

Lyonchhoen said that, on one hand, the government was trying austerity and, on the other, the PM can’t be accepting such a big salary.

“Several members, both in the opposition and the ruling party, said that I have to take it, but I said I couldn’t accept this and, if the PM must get more, than give him Nu 1 more, just as a token, which wasn’t accepted as well,” lyonchhoen said.

He added that the first Parliament, in its sixth session, approved the pay scale and the present government, the day it took office, should have legally started accepting the higher salary, because it was already passed by the parliament.

“But we didn’t, because we felt responsible to drive the austerity measures, and we didn’t want to take the high package,” lyonchhoen said.

He said that the salary reduction was discussed earlier and submitted to Parliament.  However, the proposal had been already endorsed and approved by the first parliament.

“That is law. We can’t just change it and that’s why, we didn’t accept it and we didn’t change it,” he said. “We submitted it back to Parliament and I requested to revise the PM’s salary downward, but none of this was accepted.”

Lyonchhoen had however not identified the charities that he will donate his approximately Nu 2.7M at the end of his term.

Economics affairs minister Norbu Wangchuk said that the PM’s decision has been made in good faith, and it set the tone for others to follow.

“It’s a noble gesture and will set a role model for leaders,” he said.

Minister for information and communications, DN Dhungyel, said the PM was recommended a higher salary, but it was the wisdom of the PM to not accept the recommended pay scale.

Personally, the minister said he did not support this decision, because the cabinet ministers and the PM had two very different types of responsibilities.

Finance minister Namgay Dorji said that the pay scale for PM and the ministers was a resolution of the National Assembly, which could not be over-written.

“However the PM’s intentions are clear and we respect his decision,” lyonpo Namgay Dorji said.

While some cabinet ministers applauded the move, Bhutan Kuen-Nyam Party tweeted, “An intentional raise of 131 percent disagreeing to the pay commission report and now a donation gimmick…wake up Bhutan and realise.”

It also tweeted that the pay commission’s report on pay raise for PM and cabinet ministers was lower than the government’s pay revision report.

Bhutan Kuen-Nyam Party president Sonam Tobgay said, “There are large variations between the pay commission’s report vis-à-vis the government’s pay revision report.”

Meanwhile, Druk Nyamrup tshogpa’s interim president, (Dr) Tandin Dorji, said he appreciated the PM’s gesture.

Source: Kuenselonline

Trashi Yangtse Tshechu

The annual Tshechu in Trashi Yangtse drew a huge crowd this year compared to the past years. This is because the Tsechu was held for the first time in the new Dzong, accommodating the increasing number of people.

In the past the annual Tshechu was held in Dongdey Dzong, which used to be the old Trashiyangtse Dzong. Since Dongdey Dzong is about five kilometres away from the proper town, not many people could attend the Tsechu.

After completing the construction of the second Utse for the new Dzong, the Tshogdue decided to organise the Tshechu in the new Dzong. The decision was taken for the convenience of the public, according to officials.

Our reporter, Cheyche, said that the courtyard of the new Dzong is also more spacious than the old Dzong accommodating more devotees.

“It is more interesting to watch here compared to the old Dzong. People were not willing to come to the old Dzong to watch tshcehu. But here everyone is interested to come since there is lots of sitting space to watch the Tshechu,” said one of the local reidents, Neten.

According to some of the regulars, the number of people coming to witness has increased by almost thrice. “I also went to witness in the old Dzong and there were not many people. People were not willing to go to the old Dzong since there is no proper place to sit and watch Tshechu,” said Passang Tshering, a local resident.

Some of the people said that only Dzongkhag staff and monks would watch the Tshechu when organised at the old Dzong.

The monks and the Dzongkhag mask dancers performed various mask dances during the three-day tshechu. The Dzongkhag dancers and students from various schools performed cultural dances to entertain the crowd.

The Tshechu concluded with the unfurling of Guru Tshengay Thongdrol yesterday. The Tshechu was initiated in 1999.

Source: BBS