With 113 cases, 2018 recorded the lowest number of deaths from alcohol liver diseases (ALD) in the last five years. The figure is as per the Annual Health Bulletin 2019.
The highest number of deaths was recorded in 2016 with 190 cases. Despite the decrease, the bulletin highlighted that ALD still continues to be the top cause of all deaths in the country.
While the number of deaths decreased last year, it recorded an increase in the number of new cases of ALD. And the cases of ALD was found to be high in the age group of 15 to 49 years with nearly 1700 cases last year. In addition, mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol increased from 923 cases in 2017 to 1010 last year. This, as per the bulletin could be due to the high social and cultural significance of alcohol in the country.
It is estimated that the per capita alcohol consumption among Bhutanese is 8.47 litres, which is higher than the global consumption of 6.2 litres. The health ministry spent about Nu 27 M to treat alcohol-related diseases in 2016.
The National Council during the summer session of the parliament last month recommended for a new Act to control the alcohol abuse in the country.
Recognizing the alcohol abuse as a growing concern, the Good Governance Committee of the National Council had carried out a study on the harmful use of alcohol in the country. The study claimed that compared to other countries, alcohol is cheap and widely available in the country.
