Ten more Indian hospitals are expected to be added to Bhutan’s Medical Referral System, expanding healthcare options for Bhutanese patients seeking specialised treatment in India. The development was discussed during a Medical Value Travel business interaction in Thimphu today, which also explored opportunities for greater collaboration between Bhutan and India’s healthcare sector.
Bhutan already has a referral system in place with several hospitals in India. The addition of more hospitals is expected to provide greater choice for patients requiring specialised treatment outside the country.
The expansion was discussed during a business interaction organised as part of the visit of a FICCI Medical Value Travel delegation to Bhutan.
The programme brought together healthcare institutions from Bhutan and India to discuss Bhutan’s referral system and India’s wider medical value travel ecosystem.
“This is an excellent opportunity for us to network and explore more such opportunities with the hospitals from India. This opportunity will apply to all the patients who want to explore treatment options outside Bhutan,” said Dr Phub Tshering, Medical Director, JDWNRH.
The visiting Indian hospitals presented their specialised services, including centres of excellence, international patient services and treatment packages.
“We are open to the idea of surgical camps. So Bhutan has evolved in healthcare. But in case the areas wherein they need any kind of handholding, we would be happy to bridge that gap,” said Geetanjali Gupta, Fortis Hospital, India.
“As a healthcare provider, as part of our values, we can do knowledge sharing, we can do capacity building, we can send in our expert specialist doctors here in Bhutan to do handholding and, you know, outreach OPDs directly in Bhutan for the Bhutanese people,” said Dr Sunil Dagar, Yashoda Medicity, India.
The initiative is expected to strengthen cooperation in healthcare while connecting Bhutan’s medical referral system with India’s wider healthcare ecosystem.
Anita Chhetri & Sherubs Dadron Palzom
Edited by Tandin Phuntsho
