As a component of Gross National Happiness, affordable and accessible health care is central to the public policy of Bhutan. The Ministry of Health has provided universal health since the 1970s and Health care infrastructure & services are planned and developed through Five Year Plans (FYP) of the Ministry of Health. The concept of health in Bhutan must be seen in the context of the overall development strategy that defines development as the preservation of spiritual and emotional, as well as economic well-being. The focus of health sector has been to increase the accessibility to health care. Basic health care services and essential drugs are provided free of charge. Therefore, the health sector policy objectives reflect the national ones: equity, social justice, sustainability and efficiency, in the context of preservation of national culture. The long-term objective of the health services is to ‘facilitate, through a dynamic professional health care, the attainment of a standard of healthy living by the people of Bhutan to lead a socially, mentally and economically productive life, and within the broader framework of overall national development, enhance the quality of life of the people in the spirit of social justice and equity’.
The 'traditional' education system in Bhutan has two major components, the ecclesiastical oriented institutions and the state led general or secular education. With the advent of Buddhism in Bhutan in the 8th century, monastic schools came to play an important role in the lives of the people and it continues today. The modern, western form of education was introduced in Bhutan in 1950s. The western education has been promoted and expanded since the first Five Year Plan in 1961 corresponding to the embarkation of modern development in 1961 to address the basic educational needs, and develop human resources required for the socio‐economic development of the country. The Non‐Formal Education system, to deliver basic literacy and numeracy skills in Dzongkha, was introduced in the country in 1990 to reach out to the dispersed and marginalized groups, especially women. A Continuing Education program to provide opportunities to adults who could not complete their education was piloted in 2006 in Thimphu and has since been expanded. Besides the education provided within the country, many Bhutanese receive the opportunities to pursue education outside the country. Prior to the initiation of tertiary education programs in 1983, all qualifying Bhutanese were sent abroad, mostly to India, to obtain their tertiary education. Even now, many Bhutanese obtain their tertiary education degrees outside the country through government arranged scholarship. Moreover, because of the lack of capacity within the country, increasing numbers of Bhutanese are travelling outside the country to get their education through self-financing.