GMC partners with KKH to bring advanced fertility care to Bhutan

Bhutan’s declining fertility rate, falling birth numbers, and growing aging population have raised concerns over the country’s demographic future.

 While many young Bhutanese are delaying parenthood as they pursue higher education, employment opportunities and careers, some couples wish to have children but face challenges with infertility.

The Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) currently provides intrauterine insemination (IUI), a fertility treatment where prepared sperm is placed directly into the uterus to improve the chances of fertilisation.

However, couples requiring more advanced assisted reproductive technology, such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), often have to seek treatment outside the country.

IVF, which involves fertilising eggs with sperm in a laboratory before transferring the resulting embryo into the uterus, generally has higher success rates than IUI for many infertility conditions.

Against this backdrop, the Gelephu Mindfulness City Authority (GMCA) has partnered with Singapore’s KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) to establish Bhutan’s first IVF centre in Gelephu Mindfulness City.

GMC said the centre is intended to provide advanced fertility care not only to Bhutanese patients but also to patients from across the region.

The agreement, signed virtually by GMC Governor Dasho Dr. Lotay Tshering and KKH Chief Executive Officer Associate Professor Chan Yoke Hwee, outlines KKH’s role in providing technical support for the centre’s development.

The Singapore hospital will assist with training healthcare professionals, designing the facility, and establishing the laboratory systems required for IVF services.

KKH, recognised as one of Asia’s largest women’s and children’s hospitals, runs Singapore’s largest IVF centre and will bring its expertise in fertility care to support the establishment of GMC’s facility. “It will support GMC in five areas: training for IVF clinicians, nursing attachments, embryology and andrology laboratory training, facility design advice, and sustainable health advisory,” the GMC states.

Dasho Dr. Lotay Tshering, Governor of GMC, said the partnership reflects “His Majesty’s deep understanding of the evolving science and needs in the field of next-generation longevity and regenerative medicine.”

He added that the collaboration with KKH would help Bhutan offer these services at par with similar centres around the world.

GMC said that KKH will provide the technical support without charging consultancy fees.

 The assistance will be rolled out in phases, covering areas such as assessing the centre’s feasibility, planning the facility, developing clinical procedures and training programmes, and advising on equipment requirements.

Associate Professor Chan Yoke Hwee, CEO of KKH, said the hospital was honoured to support the development of Bhutan’s first IVF centre. “Advancing healthcare begins with shared learning,” she said, adding that KKH looks forward to working with the GMCA team to contribute to advances in women and child health.

While KKH will provide technical expertise, GMCA will oversee the implementation side of the project, including selecting candidates, arranging scholarships, managing tenders, and coordinating construction.

While the timeline for completion and commencement of services has not been announced, GMCA said the partnership will lay the foundation for establishing an advanced fertility care facility in the GMC.