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Dasho Dechen Wangmo is a Bhutanese politician and public health professional who served as Minister for Health in the Royal Government of Bhutan from November 2018 to 2023. She is the only woman to have served as a cabinet minister in Bhutan's history, a distinction that underscores both her individual achievements and the broader challenges facing women's political participation in the kingdom. On 17 December 2020, she was conferred the Red Scarf (Kabney Marpo) by His Majesty the King, one of the highest honours a Bhutanese civilian can receive, in recognition of her outstanding service to the nation.^[1]

During her tenure as Health Minister, Wangmo led Bhutan's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, earning international praise for the small nation's effective containment strategy. She was subsequently elected as President of the 74th World Health Assembly (WHA) in 2021, an honour bestowed on Bhutan for the first time since the country became a member of the World Health Organization in 1982. Since leaving ministerial office, she has taken on the role of head of the PEMA Agency, Bhutan's agency for the promotion of industry, commerce, and employment.^[2]

Education

Wangmo holds a Master of Public Health in Global Health Epidemiology from the Yale School of Public Health (class of 2007), one of the world's leading institutions for public health training. She also earned a Bachelor of Science in Cardiopulmonary Science from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Her academic background provided a strong foundation in both clinical science and public health policy, which she applied throughout her subsequent career in health governance.^[3]

In recognition of her contributions to public health, the Association of Yale Alumni in Public Health honoured her with the Distinguished Alumni Award, acknowledging her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and her broader contributions to global health governance.^[4]

Career Before Politics

Prior to entering politics in 2018, Wangmo worked as an international public health consultant with a primary focus on health systems, governance, policy, and strategic planning. Her consultancy work served governments and civil society organisations in the South-East Asia region and beyond. This experience gave her a broad perspective on the challenges facing health systems in developing countries and informed her approach to ministerial responsibilities.^[5]

She is the founder and chairwoman of the Bhutan Cancer Society, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the well-being of cancer patients in Bhutan. She is also a founding member and chairperson of Lhaksam, a network supporting HIV-positive individuals in the country. These civil society roles reflect a longstanding commitment to health advocacy that preceded and informed her political career.^[6]

Minister for Health (2018–2023)

Wangmo was elected to the National Assembly of Bhutan in the 2018 general elections, representing the North Thimphu constituency. On 7 November 2018, she was sworn in as Minister for Health in the cabinet of Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering. She was the sole female member of the cabinet, a fact that drew both domestic and international attention to questions of gender representation in Bhutanese politics.^[7]

COVID-19 Response

When the COVID-19 pandemic reached Bhutan in early 2020, Wangmo was at the forefront of the national response. Under her leadership, Bhutan implemented early border closures, comprehensive contact tracing, and a rapid vaccination campaign that became one of the fastest in the world. The country's success in managing the pandemic, despite limited healthcare infrastructure, was widely attributed to effective leadership, community cooperation, and the integration of traditional governance structures into public health strategy.^[8]

World Health Assembly Presidency

In May 2021, Wangmo was elected President of the 74th World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization. She was nominated by the Member States of the South-East Asia Region. This was the first time Bhutan had held the presidency of the WHA since joining the WHO in 1982, and it reflected international recognition of both Wangmo's personal leadership and Bhutan's effective pandemic response.^[9]

Post-Ministerial Career

After completing her term as Health Minister in 2023, Wangmo was appointed head of The PEMA (Promoting Enterprise, Market Access), officially joining the agency on 12 March 2024. PEMA is a government agency under the Royal Government of Bhutan tasked with promoting industry, commerce, and employment opportunities. She also serves as a board member of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.^[10]

Dechen Wangmo