Burden and Outcome of Stroke in Bhutan

25 Feb 2021 | International Journal of Stroke

Bhutan is a developing nation, nestled in the eastern Himalayas with a projected population of 741,672 in 2019 (1). The land consists mostly of steep and high mountains crisscrossed by a network of swift rivers. The Royal Government of Bhutan has provided free health care since the advent of modern healthcare services in the early 1960s, which includes both primary and tertiary care. Patients requiring advanced medical care are referred to India with the Government paying for the treatment. It has made remarkable progress in improving the health and quality of life of its population in recent decades, achieving almost all of its millennium development goals. Since then, there has been a significant increase in life-expectancy; from 32.4 years in the 1960s to 70.2 years in 2015 (1).