Back to Bhutan with Health Volunteers Overseas

Bhutan is  a remote, landlocked country situated between India, Nepal and Chinese Tibet. Health care is free in Bhutan, but with an estimated population of approximately 800,000, villages often accessible only by unpaved cart roads  and an average income of under $2 a day, access to care is limited.  In fact, there are usually only three practicing Psychiatrists in the country, all in the capital city of Thimphu.

Bhutan is a predominantly Buddhist country and both the newly democratic government and the health care system reflect this.  In rural areas in particular, health care is often provided by practitioners of Tibetan based traditional medicine.  Mental illness and alcohol addiction, when recognized, are often treated ritually by astrologers or not treated at all. The government of Bhutan is actively engaged in efforts to increase access to the psychiatric practices of developed countries while integrating that care with the benefits and cultural familiarity of traditional Buddhist psychology.  In fact, a new Secretariat for the PEMA Center, a mental health program which includes building a new psychiatric hospital and outpatient facility, was appointed just this year.

Health Volunteers International Overseas has been active in Bhutan for many years, providing teaching and clinical services for numerous medical and surgical specialties in ongoing programs, including Mental Health.   

From March 1st through June 1st, I will be returning to Bhutan, resuming my volunteer position as a Psychiatrist at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in Thimphu.  My responsibilities will include both direct clinical consultation and teaching of medical interns, psychiatric residents, hospital staff, and counselors in training, hopefully working as well with non-medical community providers, expanding access to mental health evaluation, treatment and referral services throughout Bhutan.

Accompanying me to Bhutan will be my wife, Margaret Worden, LCSW. During our first visit to Bhutan from September 1st through December 1st of 2019, Margaret worked as an HVO volunteer in Palliative Care and Oncology and helped teach English at our neighborhood middle school. This trip, she anticipates being a non-HVO volunteer at the Draktsho School, a school for differently-abled children in the capital.

Our trip to Bhutan with Health Volunteers will be entirely self funded.  Our expenses will include airfare to and from Paro, Bhutan and travel within country along with extensive vaccinations and everyday living expenses.  During our first trip, an apartment was provided. This trip, we will need to fund this. ourselves.  We hope as well to bring with us resources to leave behind, including texts and electronic teaching resources. With our first visit, we were able to donate $2500 of textbooks.  We're hoping this time to raise funds for eTextbooks.  If you are interested in assisting us in this worthy cause,  contributions through Mightycause.com will be entirely tax deductible.

Thank you for considering this request.  We hope to share our impressions with many of you, as we experience them and on our return.  You can follow our blog and catch up on our last trip at www.dragonkingdom.blog.

Sincerely,

Steven J Sonnenberg MD

Margaret S. Worden, LCSW