[The medical situation in Bhutan with special consideration of mountaineering]

Several thousand mountaineers a year from Germany alone visit high mountains (4000 to 7000 m) in non-european countries. This number si steadily increasing and it seems necessary to familiarize oneself with the medical situation in these countries. Compared to other countries we saw that in Bhutan rescue is possible within a short time, because of the rather short distances between trekking routes and the Thimphu General Hospital. Medical staff in this hospital is very cooperative, for instance if a patient with severe joint injuries should be transferred to Europe for treatment with all possibilities of bone and joint surgery. Generally, however, we recommend to establish special rescue stations in various places with wireless equipment in order to get help as soon as possible in case of emergency and to avoid delayed rescue or transportation under poor conditions (horse back).