World Blood Donor Day!

The theme of this year’s World Blood Donor day is ‘self sufficiency through voluntary plasma donation’. June 14 is a day to create awareness of the importance of voluntary, unpaid blood donation and to encourage more people to become regular donors. Throughout the world blood shortages result in unnecessary deaths or prolonged illness. Therefore, we honor and thank those who voluntarily donate their blood, they are the foundation of our countries’ safe and sustainable blood supplies. We encourage you to take the time to donate blood and teach others about its contribution to maintaining a strong health system.

In the SEAPHEIN office we have also been contributing to strengthening the health system in Bhutan. In May, SEAPHEIN member institutes welcomed a team of Senior Management officials from Bhutan working to develop a Bachelor of Public Health Program at the Royal Institute of Health Sciences, Royal University of Bhutan. Our member institutes agreed to provide technical support in module development, delivery of modules, and professional development of faculty. Further to these agreements, the Honorable Minister of Health of Bhutan visited Mahidol University and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Faculty of Public Health, MU to provide continuing support and collaborative efforts in the development of this program. For more details on these events please see the following report.

SEAPHEIN member institutes Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University; College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University; and Faculty of Public Health, University of Indonesia welcomed Dr. Jigmi Singay, WHO-SEARO TIP and a team of Senior Management officials representing the Royal Government of Bhutan and the Royal Institute of Health Sciences (RIHS). SEAPHEIN has been actively supporting a health initiative of the Royal Government of Bhutan to develop a Bachelor degree program at RIHS.

The Senior Management group, led by Dr. Chencho Dorji, Director of RIHS, had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with Bachelor of Public Health programs at each of these institutes. They reviewed curriculum, faculty, and facility requirements. The visits also allowed the representatives to develop institutional linkages for mutual recognition of the program, faculty exchange, and faculty development. In addition, the team was seeking to secure technical support from the institutes for development of selected modules where RIHS does not currently have capacity and initial support in the delivery of those modules.

A Memorandum of Understanding between Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University (FPHMU), and Ministry of Health and Royal Institute of Health Sciences, Royal Government of Bhutan resulted from these visits. FPHMU was honored to welcome Lyonpo Zangley Dukpa, the Health Minister of Bhutan to sign the Memorandum. Other guests at the signing ceremony included Mr. Tshering Dorji, the Ambassador of Bhutan to Thailand; Dr. Ugen Dophu, Director of the Department of Public Health Bhutan; Dr. Maureen Birmingham, WHO Representative to Thailand; and Dr. Jigmi Singay, WHO-SEARO TIP.