[Watch LIVE] Saving Lives in the Air: A Conversation with Bhutan’s Airborne Emergency Medical Team

Join Us LIVE Thursday, Feb 24th at 9 AM ET | 8 PM Thimphu to Hear from the BEAR Team

Bhutan’s medical services teams have been hard at work keeping their communities safe through the changes and restrictions of the pandemic. In this month’s #DragonSeries, the Bhutan Foundation will be talking to one team that has risen to new heights in response to COVID-19, the Bhutan Emergency Aeromedical Retrieval (BEAR) team. Their work saving lives in the air by safely caring for and delivering patients from remote areas across the country has received national attention and even the prestigious Druk Thuksey Medal from His Majesty the King.

We hope you’ll join us this Thursday, February 24th (9 am ET | 8 pm Thimphu), to hear directly from Dr. Urvashi Sharma and Nurse Lhab Dorji about the challenges the team has faced and the new hopes they share for the future. The event will be followed immediately by a Q&A with the speakers open to the public, so be sure to join us LIVE with your questions!

You can watch LIVE on Facebook and Twitter @bhutanfdn or via YouTube by clicking the link below!

About the Speakers

Dr. Urvashi Sharma was born and raised in Thimphu under the shadows of her parents who were in the field of medicine, so even as a kid, she knew she wanted to be a doctor. After graduating from high school, she qualified to study medicine in Sri Lanka under the Royal Government of Bhutan scholarship, and without a doubt, she chose to study medicine. Seven years later she came back with an MBBS degree and distinction in Psychiatry. She joined the civil service in 2014 and since then she’s been working as a medical officer at the Emergency Department at the Thimphu National Referral Hospital. She has been a part of the BEAR team since its inception and has treated a multitude of critical conditions in her capacity as the flight doctor. Dr. Sharma is also an associate lecturer teaching the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) diploma program at the Faculty of Nursing and Public Health, KGUMSB. During her free time, Dr. Sharma enjoys art, poetry, fitness and loves to spend time with her mother and her three dogs. 

Lhab Dorji was born and raised in Paro. In 2011, he completed his nursing degree from Dayananda Sagar College of Nursing in Bangalore, India and joined the civil service in 2013 in the Emergency Department at the Thimphu National Referral Hospital. Lhab co-founded BEAR in 2017, functioning as the Head of Operations for BEAR. He is a full-time clinical nurse at the ER and also an associate lecturer for the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) diploma program at the Faculty of Nursing and Public Health, KGUMSB. Apart from his career, Lhab is passionate about fitness, philosophy and biking.

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