Annual Report 2025

This year marked significant progress in strengthening Bhutan’s readiness for public health emergencies. Guided by strong leadership from the Ministry of Health and supported by WHO and partners—including the Pandemic Fund—Bhutan advanced critical capacities across laboratories, surveillance, One Health, pandemic preparedness, and point-of-entry (PoE) readiness.

Bhutan made significant progress in strengthening laboratory systems and diagnostic readiness, enhancing early detection and response capacities for priority diseases. With support from the Pandemic Fund through WHO, the Royal Centre for Disease Control (RCDC) received Nu. 19.3 million (USD 220,216) worth of advanced laboratory equipment, including ELISA systems, biosafety cabinets, PCR kits, and essential biosafety supplies. These investments substantially improved the country’s capacity to detect respiratory pathogens, zoonotic diseases, and emerging public health threats with greater speed, accuracy, and safety.