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UNFPA
goodwill ambassador concludes eastern tour
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The
UNFPA goodwill ambassador, Her Majesty the Queen, Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck,
returned to Thimphu on April 9, 2006 after a two-week high level
advocacy campaign on HIV/AIDS and reproductive health in Lhuentse and Trashiyangtse.
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| During
the tour, from March 28 to April 9, 2006 Her Majesty met with the
people of Kurtoe, Gangzur, Jari, Menbi, and Tshenkhar and held discussions
on wide range of health issues like reproductive health (focusing on
safe motherhood, institutional delivery and family planning), HIV/AIDS,
teenage pregnancy, substance abuse and general health and hygiene. |
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During
the meetings Her Majesty told people that Bhutan today was facing several
emerging health issues that needed immediate attention.
Latest
health statistics of the Lhuentse hospital showed that the general health
condition, including family planning and institutional delivery, had improved
drastically in the dzongkhag.
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| Her
Majesty was impressed with the dzongkhag's overall improvement on hygiene
and sanitation condition, nutritional health and on the fact that there
were no maternal deaths in 2005 in Lhuentse.
The
dzongkhag also boasted four women chimis out of five in the dzongkhag. |
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The UNFPA goodwill ambassador, Her Majesty the Queen Mother, Ashi Sangay Choden
Wangchuck |
| The
joint director of the information communication bureau of the health ministry,
Sonam Phuntsho, told Kuensel that Her Majesty was looking at the greater
involvement of communities including religious bodies in combating the
health issues. |
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"There
is a need for everyone to take responsibility for both individual and community
health," he said, adding that gender was another issue the goodwill ambassador
was advocating.
Dr.
Sonam Ugen of the public health department said that some of the health
issues were cross-cutting requiring involvement of all sections of the
society.
Ashi
Sangay Choden Wangchuck also met with the members of the multi-sectoral
task force (MSTF) of Lhuntse and Trashiyangtse dzongkhags and reviewed
their activities in advocating HIV/AIDS, STD and reproductive health
issues among the general public.
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| Her Majesty speaks to students of Menbi gewog in Lhuentse |
| She
told the MSTF members that they should look into ways of broadening the
scope of the organisation. "MSTF should not be seen just as a health organisation
and should be prepared to look into other social issues," she said.
For
example, MSTF could mobilise relief and aid in case of floods and organise
fire fighting brigades in case of fires. |
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Ever
since Her Majesty assumed the post of UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador in January 1999, she has travelled to all 20 dzongkhags on various advocacy
efforts.
Her
Majesty initiated the pap spear campaign in Gunitsawa, Laya and Lingshi to reduce the cases of cervical cancer in women. In all her public meetings
Her Majesty has been stressing institutional delivery so as to reduce the
high rate of maternal mortality in the country.
Her
Majesty's advocacy tours resulted in founding of Renew, a non-profit organisation
dedicated to the relief and empowerment of disadvantaged women and adolescent
girls in Bhutan.
Established
in 2004, the organisation aims to integrate disadvantaged women into mainstream
society as socially and economically independent productive members by
providing capacity development opportunities.
| This
article was contributed by Gopilal Acharya, KUENSEL, Bhutan's National
Newspaper, 2006 |
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