DAWA ZANGMO | Thimphu
The Ministry of Health (MoH) remains committed to strengthening neonatal healthcare services across the country, with a focus on improving the quality, accessibility, and resilience of care for newborns rather than simply increasing the number of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) beds.
Responding to a question during the 28th Meet the Press session on 5 June, Dr. Mimi Lhamu Mynak, President of the National Medical Services (NMS), highlighted ongoing efforts to enhance maternal and newborn healthcare services while acknowledging the critical importance of neonatal care in Bhutan’s health system.
At the outset, Dr. Mimi expressed gratitude to Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen for spearheading the construction of the 150-bed Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) in Thimphu and the 65-bed MCH in Mongar. Both facilities are expected to be completed within the next two months.
“These MCH are a sacred gift to the people of Bhutan and will immensely benefit the health of our mothers and infants,” she said.
Dr. Mimi noted that neonatal care remains one of the most important components of the healthcare system because newborns face the highest risks of illness and mortality during the first days of life. She said ensuring equitable access to quality neonatal services continues to be a key priority of the government.
According to the NMS, Bhutan currently has one trained neonatologist and 16 pediatricians serving the entire country. Specialist pediatric services are available in eight of the country’s 20 dzongkhags.
NICU services are currently provided through the country’s three referral hospitals, which together have 24 dedicated NICU beds.
In 2025, the three NICUs cared for a total of 596 critically ill newborns. Of these, 500 admissions were recorded at Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH), while the Central Regional Referral Hospital (CRRH) treated 49 newborns and the Eastern Regional Referral Hospital (ERRH) treated 47.
Data presented during the session showed that there were 36 deaths among the 596 NICU admissions, resulting in an overall NICU mortality rate of 6.4 percent. JDWNRH recorded 30 deaths from 500 admissions, while the remaining deaths occurred at the two regional referral hospitals.
Dr. Mimi said the three referral hospitals manage the country’s most vulnerable newborns, including premature babies and infants with serious medical complications.
“Given that these facilities manage the country’s sickest and most vulnerable newborns, including premature babies and newborns with serious complications, these outcomes indicate that our neonatal services are performing well. However, for Bhutan, every neonatal death is one too many and we remain committed to further improving newborn survival and quality of care,” she said.
The figures also show that JDWNRH carries the largest share of neonatal healthcare services in the country. The hospital recorded 4,109 births in 2025 and accounted for 500 NICU admissions. This represented approximately 48 percent of all births and about 84 percent of all NICU admissions reported in the dataset.
The remaining hospitals collectively reported 3,263 births but did not record NICU admissions or dedicated NICU beds.
Addressing concerns regarding NICU capacity, Dr. Mimi said it was important to consider Bhutan’s changing demographic trends when planning future healthcare investments.
She noted that the number of births in Bhutan has steadily declined over the past decade, falling from 11,430 births in 2015 to 8,501 births in 2025.
“Internationally, there is no single standard for NICU bed requirements,” she said.
According to Dr. Mimi, Singapore maintains between 1.5 and 2 NICU beds per 1,000 live births, while high-income countries such as the United States generally provide between 2 and 4 NICU beds per 1,000 live births.
Based on Bhutan’s current birth rate, the existing national capacity of 24 NICU beds is broadly aligned with international planning benchmarks, providing approximately 2.82 NICU beds for every 1,000 births.
She said this assessment indicates that the current focus should remain on strengthening service quality and access rather than increasing bed numbers.
“Therefore, our priority, at present, is on strengthening the quality, accessibility, and resilience of neonatal services nationwide instead of simply increasing the number of beds,” she said.
To support this objective, the MoH is pursuing several initiatives aimed at improving neonatal and pediatric healthcare services.
These include establishing cluster hospitals staffed with pediatricians to ensure timely specialist care for newborns experiencing health complications. The ministry is also providing Neonatal Advanced Life Support training to General Duty Medical Officers (GDMOs) and nurses.
As part of the 13th Five-Year Plan, the ministry plans to train three neonatologists, eight additional pediatricians, and eight neonatal nurses by 2029.
Dr. Mimi said the initiative would significantly strengthen specialized newborn and child health services throughout the country.
The ministry is also investing in advanced neonatal equipment and technology, including neonatal transport ventilators, patient monitoring systems, and transport incubators.
In addition, efforts are underway to strengthen referral and transport systems, including neonatal transport services and in-utero referrals, to ensure mothers and newborns requiring higher levels of care can reach appropriate healthcare facilities without delay.
Concluding her remarks, Dr. Mimi emphasized that Bhutan’s declining birth rate makes every newborn increasingly important.
“While Bhutan’s declining birth rate means fewer babies are being born each year, it also means that every child matters even more,” she said. She acknowledged that improvements are still needed and reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to ensuring every newborn receives safe, high-quality healthcare and the opportunit
