Beyond Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: Health for all Through Sustainable Community Development

In: Gross National Happiness and Development - Proceedings of the First International Conference on Operationalization of Gross National Happiness. Thimphu, Centre for Bhutan Studies 2004, pp. 574-598 . ISBN 99936-14-22-X

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Abstract

At the government run Ubolrat District Hospital, an outstanding foundation has been established to help people achieve happiness called the Sustainable Community Development Foundation (SCDF). This foundation has served the local community as a social institution with attributes borrowed from Buddhism, local wisdom, and holistic development. The foundation was initiated due to problems found in health services in the hospital, and it was found that the way to cope with these health problems could be done outside the hospital. Of course, the work of the foundation has been beyond conventional disease prevention and health promotion. For instance, the foundation can help patients with HIV/AIDS can live along the rest of their lives happier.