In honour of His Majesty The Third Druk Gyalpo’s contribution and leadership in establishing Bhutan’s health system, the Ministry of Health launched the Annual Household Health Surveillance initiative on Friday in Wangdue Phodrang. This is to strengthen Bhutan’s primary healthcare system by proactively delivering essential public health services directly to households, reviving the country’s tradition of community-based care.
With the launch of the initiative, the health minister also unveiled the Annual Household Health Surveillance Manual at Wangdue Phodrang Dzong.
The Annual Household Health Surveillance is a proactive programme that revives household visits by health workers. It builds upon Bhutan’s longstanding tradition of community-centered health services, dating back to the 1970s when health workers first began home-based patient follow-ups.
However, unlike traditional data collection efforts, this approach focuses on delivering essential health services while simultaneously gathering updated household health information to support evidence-based planning. All data will be digitised through the District Health Information System 2 platform.
Health workers will visit every household in their area annually to provide key services. These include promoting Water, Sanitation and Hygiene practices, screening and advocacy for non-communicable diseases, elderly care services, and health education and counseling. If they encounter unattended sick individuals, immediate care will be provided on-site.
This year, the initiative will be implemented in Wangdue Phodrang and Monggar on pilot basis. Health centres in other districts will aim to cover at least 10 per cent of their households. A full national rollout is planned from next year, with the goal of reaching 100 per cent of households annually.
Kinley Dorjee, research officer of the Ministry of Health said “We have consolidated so many services together. So, when the health workers visit households, they will be first looking at the hygiene and sanitation, the household status, health status. So, this will benefit in improving the health and then preventing illness of the households. The Annual Household Surveillance will be conducted annually. So, annually, health worker will visit at least visit once in a year to all the households in their catchment area.”
Health Minister Tandin Wangchuk said “According to the most recent survey report being presented today, public health has declined drastically. If we fail to improve public health services, hospitals alone will not be able to manage the burden. Our failure in primary healthcare reflects a situation similar to that of other developed countries in terms of disease prevalence. Therefore, if we prioritise public health again, this initiative will be beneficial.”
The initiative aims to enhance health equity by reaching underserved populations and improving disease prevention through early detection. The initiative is also expected to ease pressure on hospitals by addressing issues at the community level before they escalate.
Tawchu Mo, a resident said “I was told I had high blood pressure during my last hospital visit, but I didn’t follow up because I wasn’t in pain. Today, during the household check-up, they found the same issue. Now I know it’s serious and I plan to go for treatment.”
Pasang Om, another resident said “As farmers, we don’t always have time to visit hospitals. Now, with health workers coming to us and educating us on health issues, this initiative is a big help.”
Officials say this initiative is also aimed at rebuilding trust between health workers and communities, which is critical in delivering effective services. The health ministry will closely monitor the pilot phase and conduct a detailed review by the end of this year to refine the initiative before the nationwide rollout next year.
Changa Dorji, Wangdue Phodrang
Edited by Kipchu
