Prados Vs GNH

Wai! There’s a serious need to rethink Bhutan’s way forward toward a GNH society. Our national goal is to become a GNH society, which is synonymous with a welfare society. The salient feature of any welfare society is equitable free social services like education and healthcare. It’s genuinely practised in the Scandinavian countries.

Bhutan’s journey towards a social welfare system is, however, strangely different. Year by year, our hitherto free social services come with price tags. Health services, for instance, are gradually becoming elitist. Now we have a “special consultancy service” that caters to people who can pay for better services. Such services immediately divide the society into haves and have-nots. Today, people visiting the national referral hospital have to pay even to use toilets on the premises. It’s almost outrageous that a GNH country can’t provide free toilets to its citizens who visit hospitals.

Education is also toeing the money line. There are already private schools and “special” private schools catering to the children of moneyed people. Now tertiary education comes with a price tag. We will not be surprised if basic education also came with a price tag soon.

In an avowed GNH society, even drinking water doesn’t come free. If the government didn’t buy all those Prados, many basic social services can come abundantly free. We need to seriously think which will make us more GNH – Prados or free social services.

One last question to take home: How do we reconcile our penchant for Prados with the desire to create a GNH society?

One Response to “Prados Vs GNH”

1. Sampa Zanpo says:

   July 6, 2011 at 10:57 am

   we need both materialistic and spiritualistic happiness to achieve GNH. Spiritual happiness could not do more anymore now.

   Reply