The government is reviewing a potential increase in the Daily Subsistence Allowance or DSA for Bhutanese patients referred abroad for medical treatment. There are concerns that the current rates fall short of rising living costs.
Under the 2008 National Guideline for Patient Referral Outside Bhutan, patients and their escorts receive Nu 150 each per day for the first month and Nu 125 for subsequent months.
According to the finance minister, any revision to the DSA, while addressing genuine need, is being carefully considered within a broader policy framework to ensure that support measures remain equitable, fiscally sustainable, and consistent across all categories of patients requiring referral care.
Finance Minister Lekey Dorji said, “This is a work in progress. The Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, is working on it, particularly with the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital and the National Medical Services. It will then be forwarded to the Cabinet for a decision soon.”
Meanwhile, the minister added that the total expenditure on patient referrals abroad has increased by over 300 per cent. It was Nu 175 M some ten years ago. Now the government is coughing up more than Nu 700 M.
Further, the national referral hospital and the National Medical Services has been asked to review and update referral exclusion criteria to better reflect treatments that can now be provided within the country. This according to the government is to gradually reduce reliance on overseas referrals, optimize the use of national healthcare infrastructure, and improve overall system efficiency.
Kinzang Lhadon
