Global Goal: Unite for our Future – Lotay Tshering, Bhutanese Prime Minister

Video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-191720

Excellencies and distinguished delegates, I offer my sincere greetings from Bhutan.

First of all, congratulations to your Excellency Dr Ursula, President of the European Commission, for your leadership in organizing this event to accelerate the global response to the coronavirus.

This initiative comes as a huge reassurance for more vulnerable nations like Bhutan, as it ensures impartial access to diagnostics, treatments and, later on, vaccine against the disease.

As we all know, it is a highly contagious disease and we are all aware of the epidemiological consequences if we leave pockets of this infection unattended.

Therefore, we cannot leave any communities behind.

It is an honour for the Royal Government of Bhutan to be part of the global pledge.

We offer a humble token to this cause.

Our contribution is small, but it comes loaded with prayers from our hearts.

For us, Bhutan is fortunate to have a compassionate king who knows about the disease and its consequences like an expert.

He has travelled the length and breadth of this country, met every Bhutanese and has brought everyone together to fight this disease.

Our monarchs have always invested whatever little we had in free healthcare and education for all, which is why our existing public health system needed only minimal adjustments to cope with this pandemic.

As of today, we have only 31 imported cases and all have been detected during the 21 mandatary quarantine period.

The quarantine facilities are all sponsored by the government.

For now, we have no community outbreak, but we are concerned and working towards its prevention.

Besides the pandemic, all nations are burdened with economic problems.

This requires all of us to come together, strategize and act on time, before it leads to social crisis.

My government is also mindful of the consequences of COVID-19 on other routine health services as we invest all our efforts and time behind this pandemic.

Even without the situation today, there are many pockets of outbreaks that we have to deal with every year, therefore, we are not compromising on these fronts and I’m sure all other nations are doing the same.

We all know that people who are more vulnerable to COVID-19 are the ones with weak immune systems, therefore to boost your immune system and for healthier lifestyle you should exercise regularly, eat more fruits and vegetables and drink lots of water.

These are obvious, yet important, habits that we often undermine.

As a doctor, I am happy that this message has been reinforced and it will become routine activities hereafter.

I am glad that I could share my thoughts on this platform.

Thank you all, and I send prayers from my King and the people of Bhutan.

Thank you.