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Article: Free health care part of Bhutan's prescription for Gross National Happiness.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- July 19, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THIMPHU, Bhutan _ When Dorji began suffering chronic pain in his arthritic knees, the gaunt 69-year-old wheat farmer knew he needed to seek a doctor's care.
"I went to the modern hospital, but they just couldn't help me. So I figured a dose of traditional treatment might help," he said with a slight grimace as he rubbed a stiff knee.
As Dorji spoke to a reporter, a therapist wielding a simple rubber tube attached to a metal cooking pot sprayed a hot herbal mist across his skinny limbs.
On a typical weekday, about 150 patients receive treatment at Bhutan's National Institute of Traditional Medicine, where herbs, roots, acupuncture and ...