The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Bangladesh has proposed supplying pharmaceutical products to Bhutan through a government-to-government (G2G) arrangement, a discussion that took place during the State Visit of the Prime Minister of Bhutan to Bangladesh from 22nd – 24th November 2025, according to the Secretary of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Pemba Wangchuk.
The Health Secretary said that both countries recognised that such cooperation could improve Bhutan’s access to affordable and quality medical supplies.
At present, Bhutan procures medicines by inviting quotations from local suppliers registered with DMP and NMS. Winning bidders then source the medicines from manufacturers abroad, except for Azista, which produces about 21 medicines within Bhutan.
For essential drugs not secured through tenders, MoH also relies on support from RBC Kolkata.
Secretary Pemba Wangchuk said, “While we look forward to the current proposal of the Bangladesh Government to supply the medical products, we will assess the price competitiveness and quality of their products, including the transportation and other overhead costs involved, in comparison to the current options available to us.”
The Secretary added that if the costs are competitive or lower than current procurement options, Bhutan would be open to partnering with the Government of Bangladesh to move the initiative forward.
He also highlighted the scale of Bhutan’s pharmaceutical spending. He said that essential medicines alone cost around Nu 400 million (mn) when combined with last year’s figures.
“From 2023-2024, 530 mn went on for drugs and non-drugs,” he added. He further noted that in 2024-2025, the cost of medical equipment, including vaccines, reached around Nu 2.8 billion (bn), up from Nu 1.7 bn in 2021-2022.
He emphasised that “options need to be studied and also quality” before moving forward with any new agreements.
The Health Secretary also highlighted the long-standing support Bhutan has received from Bangladesh. In 2018, Bangladesh committed to supplying 257 different medicines to Bhutan, delivered in four consignments. He added that these donations resulted in substantial financial savings for the Bhutan Health Trust Fund.
