The Bhutanese Leading the way.
In deep appreciation and as a mark of respect and goodwill to His Majesty for the prayers following the passing of His late Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the Thailand Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon Foundation (PCSF) offered heart surgeries for 99 children in Bhutan suffering from congenital heart disease.
The first surgery is scheduled for 9th December, coinciding with the auspicious occasion of the 10th year of His Majesty’s Reign.
Children with congenital heart diseases requiring surgery will be referred to Thailand after evaluation from Bhutanese hospitals. It is expected that after screening, diagnosis and referral, the surgeries will be completed in the next two years.
The first child who has been referred for the surgery left for Thailand on December 5, which marked the Birth Anniversary of King Bhumibol.
Drukair and Bhutan Airlines have offered to sponsor the airfare for the children and their caregivers to travel to Bangkok for the surgery, and the Royal Thai Consulate in Thimphu has offered to waive off their visa fees.
His late Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King Rama IX of Thailand, passed away on 13th October this year. While Thailand was plunged in sorrow, Bhutan also shared their grief, due to the exceptional relations that exist between the two countries, and the immense respect that the Bhutanese feel for King Bhumibol.
Upon His Majesty’s Command, prayers were performed across the country, including in all the major religious centres in Bhutan, and the national flag was flown at half-mast as a mark of respect.
His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen visited Thailand to pay respects to King Bhumibol as His late Majesty lay in state, on 15th October.
