Persuasive Writing

Privatization of health facilities in Bhutan; not a correct shift

Over recent decades, the healthcare service in many countries, both developed and developing, have been fundamentally rationalized by two events: the re-direction of government policy toward the privatization of publicly-funded institutions and a new interest in strategic investment from the corporate sector in health services and products. Some might regard this radical change as bringing forth the possibility of greater efficiency and increased patient’s choice. Others may see privatization as a threat to the large public institutions providing services and protecting the rights of the under-privileged. Considering the situation of Bhutan where 69% of the population lives in the rural areas depending on subsistence farming (National Statistical Bureau, 2005) and 12.4 percent of its population under poverty (Dahal, 2012), it would be impractical to privatize the medical facilities.

In the young democracy like ours it is often difficult to understand the people prospective about privatization. Privatization doesn't guarantee that the contracts will go to the best companies; those that can do a better and cheaper job. Big companies with good lobbyists and political influence often land the contracts. This will lead to corruption and service provided cannot be guaranteed as the best one. When private institutions agree the contracts from the government, the institutions can begin to cut corners to increase profits. Unless the contracts include specific reporting criteria, these businesses' modes of operation may prove difficult to monitor leading to lack of transparency and accountability which, in fact will result in birth of illegal market (Dorji, 2008).

The private for-profit health services need nurses, doctors and other health professionals. They turn to the same nurses and doctors who work in the public health system and poach them to serve people who can afford to pay for private services. As the private system charges more for its services, it often can pay more for health professionals. Moreover, country already has shortage of medical professional and specialists. This “poaching” of health professionals who have been trained by the public health system means that there are fewer doctors, nurses and other professionals available to the under-privileged ones (Canadian Health Coalition , 2009).

Recently, Bhutan has seen a private diagnostic Centre in Phuentsholing which provides health care facilities such as ultrasound, X-ray and Laboratory tests run by just two trained technicians. Can all Bhutanese get satisfied with the service provided by the Centre? With just two technicians it may be hard to look after the customers and it results in getting the health professionals from the public health care institutions (BBS, 2013).The visitors are not just patients but they can be treated as customers. On the other hand, as the cost for setting up the Centre is high and the fees for the facilities is not yet decided, we cannot guarantee that the service provided can be reasonable for the people.

I believe that many Bhutanese who are dissatisfied with our present system of health care are among those who have seen better-developed systems abroad and are able to pay for such services. This group neither has the time nor patience to wait for services, nor do they have much regard for the providers. Looking at the present scenario, to privatize health service means to neglect the majority of the country’s population and to have disparity between rich and poor.

To summarize, as Wangchuck (2007) states, “people who can afford to buy sophisticated treatment can live better even when they are struck by serious sickness but people in rural areas may die from even curable diseases such as diarrhea creating a gap between rich and poor”. So, being a developing country with most of its population in rural areas and with poor financial background, it may not be a right time for Bhutan to privatize the health services.

References

Bhutan Broadcasting Service. (2013). First private diagnostics Centre in Phuentsholing.

            Retrieved on May 15, 2013 from http://www.bbs.bt/news/?p=26870

Canadian Health Coalition (2009). Don’t Privatize our Health Professionals. Retrieved on April

            23, 2013 from https://www.medicare.ca

Dahal, R.C (2013). Drastic poverty reduction reflects growth:NSB. Retrieved on May 15, 2013

From http://bhutanobserver.bt/335bonewsaboutdrastic_poverty_reduction_reflects_growth_nsb.aspx

Dorji, C. (2008). Bhutanese Health Care Reform:A Paradigm Shift in Health Care to Increase

Gross National Happiness, Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Gross National Happiness. Retrieved on April 23, 2013 from https://www.bhutanstudies.org.bt/pubFiles/20.GNH4.pdf‎

Kuenza. (2013). Bhutan should not privatize health yet. Retrieved on May 8, 2013 from

            http://kuenza.blogspot.com/2013/02/bhutan-should-not-privatize-health-yet.html

National Statistical Bureau. (2005). Results of Population and Housing Census. Retrieved on

            April 23, 2013 from http://www.nsb.gov.bt/ndas/index.php/catalog/17

Ugyen, D. (2013). My views on privatization of health facilities in Bhutan. Retrieved on May 8,

2013 from http://dichenugen.blogspot.com/2013/04/my-views-on-privatization-of-hospitals.html

Wangchuk, S. (2007). Should Health Care in Bhutan Privatized. Retrieved on April 23, 2013

            from http://www.kuenselonline.com

Self Reflection

                                                            Autobiography

                                                       (Deo Kumar Poudyel)

I was born at Khagochen, under Dagana Dzongkhag on September 24, 1988. My father Nar Bdr. Poudyel and mother Tulashi Devi Poudyel had an arranged marriage as per the Hindu tradition during their teen age. My family is of those days when ones required a large number of members to form a good workforce. I am the eighth member in the family, yet not the smallest.

The landscape of my village is best to grow any kind of agricultural products. The climatic conditions range from hot and wet in summer and moderately cold and dry in winter.

My father died in 1992, when my younger brother and sister were just 2 years old and 2 months old respectively. I was 3 years and 6 months then, and it is odd that I can remember hardly anything about him except pulling my ears without reason, getting me biscuits while returning from his business sites and most clearly his death-bed.  After my father’s death we were raised by mother and luckily we have our beloved brother who has not only been my true brother but also my second parent. I grew up with my family members raising cattle to working in the field under the scorching sun. I remember playing with my younger brother and elder sister accompanied by other cousins in the village.

My parents felt the early education for me was immensely important contrary to the fact that they had to encounter unavoidable hardships in life without education. Therefore, they decided to enroll me into the school. Their decision had finally manifested when I got the admission in Daga Primary School in 1995. I was 6-years old then. I was taken to a strange place, a day long walk from my home and left to finish my pre-primary schooling in my relative’s house. I was lucky that I had with me my sister who is 2 years older to me. It was really an unaccepted experience of my life. May be I was too young to be away from my mother. The house where I stayed was headed by a class eight student who in fact is the eldest son of my uncle. It was a temporary hut filled with six school goers of different age. I use to get punished even for a mere reason. I missed my home a lot.

In 1996, my eldest brother felt the importance of my mother’s presence with me. My mother left home and started to run a small restaurant in the nearby town of my school. Thereafter I had had no bitter experience of any kind. To start with a restaurant was great success for me and for the family as a whole. Indeed, my brother and of course my mother were the master designer of my life. I vividly remember and my mother, too, used to narrate some incidences that whenever I refused to go to school, she used to advice me with future consequences of schooling.

In the School, my classroom walls were filled with colorful pictures captioned below with their names, while on the other face of the wall there would be giant picture of human with parts labeled both in English and in Dzongkha. Those things would often attract my concentration and that was how it helped me learn names of animals, vegetables etc. I always used to be in the list of top five from the class. I didn’t hold first, second or third position. I had taken part in various school activities. I still remember the costumes designed for the “wangzhay” which we performed in the celebration of national day, 2000. In 2001 I completed my primary schooling.

In 2002, I got transfer to Daga Middle Secondary and got enrolled in Class VII; the school shared the boundary with my Primary school. I worked harder; did homework on time and attended the classes regularly. Teachers appreciated me for my active class participation. I was introduced to many outdoor and indoor games. I enjoyed my school days with my friends. I had three day-scholar friends of different knowledge; two were very good at studies and one was extraordinarily gifted with the talent in dancing.  

With good results in hand, I could make to class IX in the same school in 2004. In Class IX surprisingly I was introduced to know that there are three branches of science; chemistry, physics and biology. Learning approached seemed to be different where I had to do assignment and solve question papers after examination and summit for assessment. I appeared Bhutan Certificate of Secondary Education (BCSE) examination in 2005.

In 2006, I was placed to Damphu Higher Secondary School in class XI, due to unavailability of higher secondary schools at Dagana. I chose science stream as I did quite well in science subjects. I had once again a challenging task, to be away from home and experience the boarding life. I was not happy to be there. I made this message to reach in the ears of my parents. After two weeks of my stay in Damphu, I was happy to hear that I got admission in Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School. It was really a new experience for me to be in the capital city of Bhutan. I stayed with my uncle and pursued my pre-university education. My life became more challenging, responsible and bright. I became more ambitious and some sort of encouragement grew in me. I aimed to become an engineer. I worked on it where I had dropped biology but somehow my result turned out rude to my expectation. My Bhutan Higher Secondary Education Certificate (BHSCE) result in 2007 was not as I expected.

However, I did qualify for Sherubtse College, Kanglung, under Royal University of Bhutan (RUB). I was ranked 2^nd in B.Sc. Physical Sciences and I took B.Sc in Mathematics and Physics. I had tough time there where I had to do assignments and presentations for each module in a semester. Besides there would be class tests and the schedule was pack. I always thought of becoming engineer and I lost my interest in education. However, I managed to pass the examinations but unfortunately, I failed to clear some papers in forth semester and had to repeat it. Thereafter, I had changed my mind had started working harder and I completed my bachelor degree in the summer of 2012. It was not an end of my career.

After much breathtaking work, I passed Bhutan Civil Service Examination (BCSE) the same year I was graduated from Sherubtse College. Fortunately, I had been able to make to Samtse College of Education in 2013 to pursue Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PgDE) which is a nine-months training program. I chose mathematics as my elective subject.

I always will have a greater sense of duty to be a responsible son of my mother, helpful brother of my siblings, trusted friend to my friends and it is of course a success of my life to get a chance to serve my country in a most fruitful manner. Teachers produce all other professions.

Being a Mathematics trainee, I would always have an immense interest to know the performance of Bhutanese students in the field of mathematics and work harder to bring changes in the study of mathematics education in Bhutan.