The Bhutanese Leading the way.
During the 17th Meet-the-Press session held on 4th July 2025, Health Minister Tandin Wangchuk confirmed that Bhutan faces minimal to negligible risk of radiation and nuclear emergencies originating within the country.
Lyonpo Tandin Wangchuk clarified that this is largely due to Bhutan’s complete reliance on hydropower for its electricity needs and the absence of large-scale nuclear plants or radiation-intensive industries.
The response came following a question by a reporter, who raised concerns regarding Bhutan’s preparedness for radiation-related emergencies. The question referenced the findings of the recent Joint External Evaluation (JEE), which assessed the country’s health security systems and identified a significant gap, “Bhutan currently lacks a separate national policy or legal framework specifically dedicated to radiation emergency preparedness. As a result, Bhutan received its lowest score in this area during the evaluation”.
The question highlighted that while radiation technology offers substantial benefits, particularly in cancer diagnosis and treatment, there are serious long-term consequences associated with radiation exposure, as seen historically in the aftermath of Japan’s nuclear incidents.
Further emphasis was made on the growing geopolitical uncertainties in the region and the possible radiological threats that may arise from neighboring countries with nuclear capabilities.
Lyonpo Tandin acknowledged the gap noted in the JEE report but assured that the issue of radiation emergencies has not been neglected entirely.
“While Bhutan does not have a specific policy on radiation emergencies, existing national frameworks provide coverage for such incidents,” he said.
He shared that Bhutan’s National Health Policy 2011 and the Health Emergency and Disaster Contingency Plans 2024 comprehensively address all types of emergencies, including man-made disasters, which implicitly cover radiation incidents.
Additionally, the Disaster Management Act of Bhutan 2013 offers a broad legal structure for preparedness, risk reduction, and coordinated responses to both natural and human-induced hazards, including potential radiation emergencies.
However, the health minister acknowledged that the JEE mission specifically recommended developing dedicated plans for the detection and response to radiation emergencies.
“The public health risks related to radiation cannot be underestimated,” he said, adding that the Ministry of Health recognizes the need to improve capacity in this area.
Lyonpo Tandin Wangchuk assured that once the final recommendations from the JEE mission are formally submitted, MoH will take concrete steps to either develop a comprehensive National Radiation Policy or incorporate radiation-specific emergency plans into existing health and disaster policies. This will include building the capacity to detect, respond to, and manage radiological or nuclear emergencies.
By doing so, Bhutan will not only strengthen its ability to handle external radiological threats but also ensure safety in the increasing use of biomedical radiation technologies within the country.
While Bhutan’s internal radiation risk is considered low, the government’s growing focus on public health security aims to ensure that the country is not caught unprepared in the event of external radiological threats that could potentially have cross-border impacts.
