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Health Marathon in Bhutan : A Success!
Crossing nine mountains is not an easy task especially if
you have to start from about a 4,000 feet valley to a height of over 13,000
feet. The total distance from Trashigang to Thimphu is somewhere between
550 to 580 kilometers. But to enable Bhutan
to continue to give free essential health care to the people, Lyonpo (Minister) Sangay Ngedup,
Bhutans
Minister for Health and Education accompanied by 6 young government employees
was willing to face the travail.
A drenching rain that had started in Trashigang
on the "flag off" day had followed the team all the way to Thimphu. It stopped only one
day short of the finishing day in Thimphu.
The 35-kilogram pack bag became heavier as the team marched up and down the
rugged terrain, only pausing for a breather now an then during which time the
weight of the pack bags were momentarily lowered onto the walking sticks.
Sand flies and leaches found them a treat in the tropical vegetation of the
valleys. As the team nailed up the ancient mule track that has not been used
for over four decades now and crossed the alpine forests to almost the
snowline, it was quite a struggle to breathe in the thin mountain air. Nights
were cold and cooking for themselves was not a pleasant task after long, hard
days. Yet they, not sparing the Minister, threw their loads on the ground,
collected firewood and water as soon as they arrived at a camping sight.
While some of them built a fire, the others struggled with the tents in the
pouring rain. After a short night they were up again between 2 and 3 in the
morning cooking the breakfast and the pack lunch. If they had reached a
mountain pass, then it is knee cracking descent and if they had reached the
depth of a valley, it is painful climb all over again. And bears sat and
watched the team from the trees beside the road and bees stung the team here
and there. The water collected from streams rendered the team members sick at
times causing great discomfort.
There was particularly a photograph of the Minister as he
appeared at Thrimshingla, the second highest
mountain pass during the trip, that drew attention
of all the people including the Bhutanese students abroad. Although the
picture of a Minister struggling on foot under an enormous load was too much
for the Bhutanese to bear, the Minister would not waiver from his purpose.
The team lived from day to day as it was too much to think of the distance
all the way to the end.
Finally on 10th October, the day of their arrival to Thimphu came. The government
employees, the students, the armed personnel and the other inhabitants in Thimphu all awaited the
arrival of the team. The team finally came down the slope towards Thimphu. As they entered Thimphu city, there was such an enthusiastic reception
with people singing the "Move for Health" song that was composed
and sung by a group of movie stars in Thimphu. Dr Orapin
Singhadej, the WHO Representative, too received the
team and walked with them for 7 kilometers waving a WHO flag and a Bhutanese
national flag all the while.
 The
road from Simtokha Dzong,
a fort about 5 and a half kilometers away to the south of Thimphu,
to Thimphu was filled with people wearing the
"Move for Health" T-shirts and caps. At the Chang Limithang Stadium in Thimphu,
the Head of the Government, Lyonpo Kinzang Dorji, the Crown
Prince, Dasho Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and the Queens including the father, Yab
Dasho Ugen Dorji and the mother, Yum Thuji
Zangmo of the Health Minister received the team
with a very warm welcome. After 15 and half days of hectic walk across the
country from the east, Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup led his team upon the dias,
specially erected for them at Chang Limithang
Stadium, with his walking stick and the pack bag upon which still hung the
tea-sieve and the plastic jug. As he eased his load into the hands of a
helper, there was a loud and resounding applause from the crowd that filled
the stadium to the brim.
At the end of walk, about 2 million US dollars have been
raised which has taken the Health Trust Fund initiative closer to its target.
Surprisingly more than 70% of this amount came from the people and
organizations within the country. The notion of the trust fund for health has
caught the imagination of every Bhutanese citizen. For instance, while Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup and his
team passed Gezamchu, a remote place tucked in the
mountains, a man owning a very tiny shop put out a flask of tea and a packet
of biscuits for the team and offered the Minister 500 ngultrums.
When the Minister, realizing that his whole shop contained goods worth less
than a thousand ngultrums, refused the money and
went for the tea and the snacks, the man insisted the Minister to accept his
contribution. He directed the attention of the Minister to his three tiny
kids playing in the sand and said, "No, Your Excellency, this is for my
little ones."
More funds are still expected to come in as the health
walk succeeded in getting the expected media coverage. The whole trip was
covered adequately by media agencies like Asian Wall Street Journal, Sunday
Herald, Asia Pacific News, Newsweek, Agency France Press, the Guardian
Magazine, and ESPN. UNICEF has fielded a filming crew to cover the whole
walk.
The success of this cross country walk proves that
everyone is willing to contribute to Bhutan's Health Trust Fund
initiative provided there is a good leader. Lyonpo
Sangay Ngedup is such a leader with a lot of drive.
For Bhutan,
Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup's
cross country health walk remains a landmark in its history for none, in this
age of delicate people, will dare to try this abandoned, ancient path like he
did this time.
© Photo and article
by :
Norbu Wangchuk
NPO (AO)
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