Jigmi Wangdi

Bhutan’s health sector is perceived to be the most prone to corruption, according to the National Corruption Barometer Survey (NCBS) 2023.

The Bhutan Transparency Initiative (BTI) launched the study yesterday.

The study found that health services are more susceptible to various forms of corruption with a rating of 65.3 percent, followed by construction services at 64.9 percent and local government services at 62.1 percent.

The study also found that the three highest forms of corruption in the country are trading of influence (23 percent), failure to declare conflict of interest (12 percent), and abuse of function (11 percent).

BTI’s executive director, Rinzin Rinzin (PhD), said that the objective of the survey was to determine the status of corruption in Bhutan based on the citizen’s perception.

“The results of the study will contribute to enhancing effective advocacy and educational programmes to deter and combat corruption in our country,” he said.

The study will, he added, also provide inputs for informed policy interventions during the formulation of legislations.

The study found that the citizens strongly believe that corruption is on the rise.

The chairperson of ACC, Deki Pema, said that the perception of corruption increasing is a problem and that there is a need to do more.

“It is a collective effort. We cannot just talk about and do nothing. We need the commitment from our citizens and all levels of our society,” she said.

Bhutan ranked 25 out of 180 countries on the Global Corruption Perception Index with a score of 68 out of 100.

This is the third NCBS report launched by BTI. The NCBS study had a total of 1,875 respondents from 19 dzongkhags.