January 2008

Armed with a master’s degree in international health policy and experience working in developing countries on public health projects, family medicine physician Erica Weirich knew she wanted to do something to give back outside of the walls of her medical practice at PAMF’s Los Altos Center. She found the opportunity in Bhutan, where she traveled late last year with a group of local doctors and educators to study how the Himalayan country created one of the most sustainable and successful health care systems in the developing world.

"Bhutan has created an excellent model of sustainable, self-created, primary health care delivery," said Dr. Weirich, who went to the country as part of the Global Health Research Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving health care in developing countries, where access to health care is low and disease rates are high.

"The government had the foresight to honor the ancient Buddhist roots of the population as it developed its health care system," she said. "Offering traditional and Western medical services together gained the trust of the population and has allowed providers to make rapid and measurable improvements in health."

In fact, 90 percent of the 672,000 people in Bhutan have access to primary health care services, such as immunizations and prenatal care. As a result of its programs, Bhutan has enjoyed a 20 percent improvement in childhood mortality in the last decade.

Dr. Weirich believes one of the keys to Bhutan’s success was the early development of an education campaign that taught locals the importance of basic health habits and disease prevention. For example, there are signs all over the roads in Bhutan that encourage health awareness. "The government is proactive about health, even, for example, posting road signs encouraging testing for HIV," she said.

During her time in Bhutan, Dr. Weirich and her group met and interviewed people ranging from residents of local villages to the director general of the Ministry of Health. Now that she’s back home, the work has not stopped. Based on its findings and other research, the Global Health Research Foundation is working to develop a process of integrating health into communities in culturally appropriate ways. Dr. Weirich hopes that this process can help donors and emerging economies develop sustainable programs to improve health in the developing world.

Dr. Weirich is one of many PAMF physicians who donate their time and expertise during their medical group-sponsored physician sabbatical to give back to the local and global community. The program gives physicians paid time off to participate in educational and philanthropic efforts.