https://ehospice.com/inter_childrens_posts/paediatric-palliative-care-echo-programme-in-bhutan-a-new-era/Dr. Tara Laabar works to educate Bhutanese healthcare professionals, policymakers and the public on palliative care; generate evidence on the preferences for palliative care among patients with life-limiting illness, their family caregivers and the healthcare professionals; and establish palliative care service at referral hospitals in Bhutan.

Dr. Laabar joined the fellowship while pursuing her PhD in Palliative Care at the University of Western Australia (UWA) in Perth. At this time, the concept of palliative care was new and emerging in Bhutan. The aim for her work with the Fellowship was to implement palliative care in Bhutan and carried these specific objectives:

• To conduct research on the preferences and feasibility for palliative care in Bhutan
• To develop palliative care knowledge and skills among healthcare professionals, policy makers and the public
• To develop palliative care service in the three referral hospitals

After completion of her PhD in December of 2022, she returned to Bhutan and started with sensitization and advocacy on palliative care among healthcare professionals. Presentations and meetings were conducted with policy makers at the Ministry of Health (MoH) on the importance of integrating palliative care into the health system. The department of public health at the MoH had recently included palliative care within the Lifestyle Related Disease Programme and it was invigorated with planning for nationwide palliative care education and training activities.

In July 2023, a 6-week virtual paediatric palliative care education session was conducted for paediatricians, residents and nurses. In January of 2024, another 6-week online session was provided on adult palliative care with support from the Australasian Palliative Link International and Pallium India in Kerala, India. More than 150 healthcare professionals participated and face-to-face education on palliative care was provided at regional referral hospitals.  Currently, a manuscript on eliciting palliative care preferences in Bhutan is under review with Palliative Care and Social Practice Journal for publication.

Finally, to support the general public's understand about palliative care, advocacy and eduction was provided through national television and radio programs in English, Dzongkha (the national language) and two other local dialects in Bhutan in 2024.  From having no palliative care activities up until 2017, the concept of palliative care is better understood among Bhutanese healthcare professionals today. Besides a formal home palliative care service at the national referral hospital, basic palliative care is now available in other hospitals as well. The Tsuha Global Fellowship has been instrumental in achieving these developments.