ཤེས་རིག་དང་རིག་རྩལ་གོང་འཕེལ་ལྷན་ཁག།
Ministy of Education and Skills Development
Non-invasive anemia screening launched
Anaemia remains a significant public health and nutrition concern in Bhutan, affecting 44.7% of children aged 6-59 months and 36.5% of adolescent girls aged 10-19 years.
In a significant step towards addressing anemia in children and adolescents, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Skills Development and UNICEF Bhutan, today launched non-invasive anemia screening at Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School using the innovative Masimo Rad-67 technology.
This painless technology provides rapid haemoglobin measurements through a fingertip sensor, eliminating the need for blood samples.
The initiative will screen 10,000 school children, monks and nuns across four Dzongkhags- Thimphu, Samtse, Sarpang and Samdrup Jongkhar, making it one of the largest efforts to strengthen early detection and management of anaemia among children and adolescents.
The screening will support early identification, referral and follow-up of children and adolescents with anaemia, while generating evidence to strengthen health and nutrition programmes nationwide. The initiative will also assess the effectiveness of existing health and nutrition interventions, helping to inform future policies and programmes that support healthier, brighter futures for Bhutan’s children and young people.