The 9th International Conference on Medical and Health Sciences, organized by the Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan (KGUMSB) in collaboration with national and international partners, brought together policymakers, academics, researchers, and health professionals from Bhutan and abroad. Guided by the theme “A Holistic Approach to Healthy Ageing amidst Emerging and Re-emerging Communicable Diseases and Demographic Shifts,” the conference provided a vital platform to reflect on one of the most pressing challenges of our time, ensuring healthy ageing in a rapidly changing demographic and health landscape.
The WHO Representative Dr Bhupinder Kaur Aulakh acknowledged on the country’s remarkable health achievements, universal free access to health care, elimination of measles, rubella, polio, and leprosy, and progress toward eliminating malaria and rabies. These milestones, she highlighted, are rooted in Bhutan’s philosophy of Gross National Happiness and form a strong foundation for tackling future challenges. She reminded the participants that “Healthy ageing is not just about adding years to life, but adding life to years” and stressed that caring for the elderly is not only a health priority, but a moral responsibility deeply embedded in Bhutanese compassion and values. Highlighting the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, she called for a stronger focus on prevention and lifestyle change to the participants that “Lifestyle must become our strongest medicine because prevention is more compassionate and cost-effective than treatment.”
She further emphasized the importance of research into Bhutan’s changing diets and lifestyle patterns, posing critical questions such as: “Has our food pattern changed in ways that are harming health?”
The conference reaffirmed Bhutan’s commitment to building a resilient health system that ensures no one is left behind, young or old, in the pursuit of health, dignity, and happiness for all generations.