Swissphysiobhutan
  • Home
  • How to support
  • Partners
  • Weekly Blog
  • Contact & About
  • Home
  • How to support
  • Partners
  • Weekly Blog
  • Contact & About

Bhutan Physio

and culture blogs

Who will do the therapies after I have left next summer?

12/1/2026

0 Comments

 
At the moment, there is hardly any therapy taking place, as most of the children are on winter vacation and visiting their families in other parts of Bhutan. During this time, I am therefore working on another major project. The parents find the therapy I am providing here very valuable and have already asked whether there is any possibility of continuing therapy at ABS after I leave next summer.
At present, apart from me, ABS only employs social workers. I agree with the parents that it would be far more sustainable to find a way for ABS to continue offering therapy at the centre on a long-term basis. For this reason, I am using this quieter period to discuss with the management team what options exist to integrate therapy as a permanent service at ABS, even after my volunteer placement ends.
Initially, the management suggested that this discussion could wait for a few months and that there was no urgency. However, I have already realised that establishing such a service is very time-consuming and requires a great deal of work. There are many challenges to address, and project approvals take a long time, with strict timelines that must be followed.
The main challenge is the severe shortage of therapists in the country. In total, there are fewer than 100 physiotherapists and physiotherapy technicians in Bhutan, only four occupational therapists, and fewer than ten speech therapists—serving a population of around 800,000 people. Even if funding were available to hire a therapist, finding a suitable professional would therefore be extremely difficult.
For this reason, I am exploring different approaches and speaking with a wide range of people to gather ideas and assess their feasibility, as I am still becoming familiar with the local system. In the meantime, several concrete ideas have emerged, and I am currently drafting a number of project proposals to submit for potential funding.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

Copyright by schochworks gmbh. All rights reserved.