ABSTRACT
The future of the post-COVID, climate "red code” world, hugely depends on good governance and a transition to low carbon. World leaders have repeatedly stated a unified goal of establishing a carbon–neutral society by mid-century. Analysis shows that South Asia's strong economic expansion has paved the way toward sustainable development, yet the region still has many unsustainable practices, except for Bhutan. As the first-only carbon-negative country globally, it is vital to extensively study, learn, and optimize Bhutan's best practices to improve global climate practices. Bhutan's three G model (gross domestic product—GDP, greenhouse gasses—GHG, gross national happiness—GNH) expands development metrics beyond GDP to people's happiness and environmental well-being. This study demonstrates how adapting practices from Bhutan, which have been molded by local experiences, problems, and opportunities, would effectively bolster green climate practices in the South Asian region. © 2023, The Author(s).
ABSTRACT
Bhutan has demonstrated a trajectory of advances in healthcare, while still remaining true to its culture and traditional forms of medicine. Most recently, Bhutan gained international attention when it implemented a strategic Covid-19 vaccination programme that protected a greater percentage of its population than observed in Western industrialised nations. This accomplishment supports the idea that there are lessons from Bhutan to be shared with the rest of the world. In this work, we delineate our observations of the Bhutanese healthcare system, based on field observations in several Bhutanese cities, and results from surveys of Bhutanese physicians. We identify a number of unique practices that influence patient compliance, health education, and access to care in the Bhutanese system, that may be of particular interest and applicability to other healthcare systems. These include housing multiple health services at one location, fully funded medical visits, using non-physician teachers for health education and use of Gross National Happiness (GNH) measures in care.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the normal functions of schools globally. Online learning is a new concept in Bhutan. Nonetheless, classes have begun using various online learning platforms to continue their operations during the pandemic. This study examined primary school teachers' perceived information technology knowledge and proficiency. The participants of this study consisted of 124 primary teachers from two western districts of Bhutan. Data were collected using an online survey. The study's findings suggested that although the majority of participants (98.2%) had access to personal digital devices, slow internet connection and high internet data subscription charges (60.7%) were cited as significant challenges. Findings also revealed that a small percentage of the participants, less than 12 (9.7%) teachers in this study preferred to teach entirely in an online learning environment. The results of multiple linear regression suggested that only technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) [t = 2.68, p = 0.008, [beta] = 0.236] and perceived information technology proficiency of teachers (PITP) [t = 3.55, p = 0.001, [beta] = 0.306] were statistically significant predictors of technological knowledge (TK).
ABSTRACT
Purpose of Study: Since 1972, Bhutan has followed the philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) - an alternative to GDP which quantifies the holistic wellness of its citizens' as opposed to the production of materials as a metric of the nation's development & prosperity. Nonetheless, the government identified youth and young adult (YYA) mental health to be a major/increasing point of concern from a 2015 national survey, indicating need for a closer look at Bhutan's mental health burden. By exploring YYA perspectives of mental health via an online survey, we hope to inform resource creation, support existing infrastructure, & guide future research. Methods Used: Survey questions were developed via collaboration of Canadian and Bhutanese shareholders to ensure cultural appropriateness and relevance. In all, 11 demographics questions, 17 10-point Likert scale questions, and 7 written answer questions were included in the survey. Students enrolled at university in Thimphu, Bhutan, between the ages of 18-25 inclusive and who are Bhutanese citizens or who have lived the majority of their life in the country were recruited via email. 289 participants consented to & completed the online survey via Qualtrics. Survey responses were quantitatively analyzed in R-Studio, save for written responses still under qualitative analysis in NVivo and not included in this discussion. Summary of Results: On average, YYA indicated feeling sad, anxious, and/or depressed more frequently than they perceived peers/family to feel the same. Strong agreement was seen regarding treatability of mental health conditions (median of 9 on 10-point Likert scale). Environmental factors, adverse childhood experiences, & personal weakness were noted to have detrimental impacts on wellbeing. The majority of respondents indicated positive familial relationships & confidence in parents to understand/support mental health issues, with medians for all family-related 10-point Likert scale questions being above 7.5. Most respondents agreed they were able to get through difficult times and be self-reliant, with all associated 10-point Likert questions having a median over 5 for moderate agreement. A general positive response to using apps or websites as mental health resources was noted. Relating to COVID-19, minimal negative outcomes in terms of diet, anxiety/depression, home life, & substance use were reported. Strong agreement (median of over 7.5 on 10-point Likert scale) was noted with regard to increases in domestic violence as a result of the pandemic. Conclusion(s): Differences between self-ratings and perceptions of others' mental health by Bhutanese YYA indicate a lack of open communication about the topic. Directing resources towards discussions about mental health may be beneficial - especially if technologically accessible. Impacts of the pandemic may continue to develop as Bhutan emerges from lockdown protocols;increasing domestic violence is a primary concern of Bhutanese YYA meriting research.
ABSTRACT
Background: The rise in facemask waste with the uncertainty of deposition data and all its concomitant pressure on management has resulted in new risks and challenges for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). The purpose of this mixed methods study was to estimate facemask waste generation and examine management in Bhutan since the COVID-19 pandemic.Method: One thousand five hundred and twenty-seventh (1,527) consenting members of the public from Class A Thromdes (self-governing municipalities) were surveyed online from February to April 2022, to estimate mask waste using descriptive statistics. This was supported by the waste characterization conducted in Memelhakha, the biggest open landfill in Thimphu Thromde. In-depth interviews were conducted with environmental officers, later summarized on emerging themes.Results: The participants discarded on average 3-4 surgical facemasks in a week. Thimphu Thromde generated 144.5 and 186 surgical and N95 waste (tons/year), while those respective figures were (30.7, 54.2), (47.3,65.7), and (65.8, 91.8) for Samdrup Jongkhar, Gelephu, and Phuentsholing. The pandemic has exposed the fragility of the waste system, with an increase in plastic waste that is largely landfilled. This issue can persist and result in big problems, given Thromde negligence and the country's inefficiencies and inadequacies in social and technical aspects.Conclusion: The findings can be used as a tool to re-examine Bhutan's overwhelmed management system to incorporate disaster preparedness and resilience to resist the change and;impact beyond the pandemic.
ABSTRACT
Objectives: One-fifth of the world's population lives in eight countries that constitute the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). There is very little coordination among SAARC countries regarding the harmonization of pharmaceutical regulations and medicines safety. Pakistan, India and Bangladesh have experienced medicine-related tragedies where many patients have died. This study aims to examine current pharmacovigilance activity in the SAARC region to improve pharmacovigilance practices and to make recommendations for building a platform for collaboration to improve the safety monitoring of medicines in the region. The current review utilized secondary data. We reviewed the official websites of all SAARC countries' national regulatory authorities for pharmacovigilance-related information. A data set with eleven pharmacovigilance indicators were gathered and synthesized. Key Findings: All eight SAARC member countries have pharmacovigilance systems with full membership in the WHO Program for International Drug Monitoring. Out of eleven pharmacovigilance indicators, India met ten;Pakistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan nine;Maldives and Afghanistan seven;Nepal and Sri Lanka five. The SAARC countries do not have a harmonized pharmacovigilance system or centralized database. Due to positioning in different WHO regions, it is proposed to create a consortium on medicine safety among SAARC countries like other regional organizations of the world to strengthen the pharmacovigilance systems and harmonize the pharmacovigilance practices among member countries. Summary: To improve the quality of medicines and to strengthen regional medicine safety, the SAARC secretariat should consider forming a technical group of all member countries' regulatory authorities.Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to impact mental health and wellbeing globally. There is a lack of scientific documentation highlighting the mental health impact of COVID-19 in Bhutan. We present the mental health burdens and control measures taken, and suggest ways to further strengthen mental health services in Bhutan. During the pandemic, a rise in depression and anxiety had been reported in Bhutan. Depression rose from an average prevalence of 9 per 10,000 between 2011 and 2019 to 16 per 10,000 in 2020 and 32 per 10,000 in 2021. Similarly, anxiety rose from an average prevalence of 18 per 10,000, to 29 per 10,000 in 2020, and 55 per 10,000 in 2021. Psychological impacts related to isolation due to lockdowns, economic losses, and poor coping abilities were associated with negative outcomes. Stigma and discrimination towards mental health disorders discouraged mentally distressed people from seeking care. In response to increased demand, Bhutan's government initiated a range of interventions including home delivery of medicines and tele-counselling to people in need of urgent mental health care. Mental health care in Bhutan can be further improved through investment in services and human resources, and decentralization of services to the community.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the normal functions of schools globally. Online learning is a new concept in Bhutan. Nonetheless, classes have begun using various online learning platforms to continue their operations during the pandemic. This study examined primary school teachers' perceived information technology knowledge and proficiency. The participants of this study consisted of 124 primary teachers from two western districts of Bhutan. Data were collected using an online survey. The study's findings suggested that although the majority of participants (98.2%) had access to personal digital devices, slow internet connection and high internet data subscription charges (60.7%) were cited as significant challenges. Findings also revealed that a small percentage of the participants, less than 12 (9.7%) teachers in this study preferred to teach entirely in an online learning environment. The results of multiple linear regression suggested that only technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) [t = 2.68, p = 0.008, [beta] = 0.236] and perceived information technology proficiency of teachers (PITP) [t = 3.55, p = 0.001, [beta] = 0.306] were statistically significant predictors of technological knowledge (TK).
ABSTRACT
Bhutan is one of the few countries in the world to take unprecedented steps to control the spread of COVID-19 in the country. This study aimed to investigate knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) and their associated covariates among patients attending Phuentsholing Hospital, Bhutan. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was conducted among patients attending Phuentsholing Hospital in Bhutan between March 17 and April 9, 2021, using an interview-administered questionnaire. The multivariable logistic regression was used to identify statistically significant covariates of good KAP. Further, the association between levels of KAP scores was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Of the 441 participants, 54.6% (241) were female. Knowledge, attitude, and practice score were reported by 55.3%, 51.8%, and 83.7% of participants, respectively. Higher education, secondary education, monastic education, and non-formal education were 9 [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 9.23; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.438, 24.797], 3.5 (AOR = 3.5; 95% CI 1.425, 8.619), and 4 (AOR = 3.8; 95% CI 1.199, 12.141) times more likely to report good knowledge than illiterates. A positive attitude was associated with higher (AOR = 2.97; 95% CI 1.154, 7.66) and secondary (AOR = 3.53; 95% CI 1.454, 8.55) education compared to illiteracy. The good practice was associated with higher (AOR = 12.31; 95% CI 2.952, 51.318) and secondary (AOR = 11.5; 95% CI 3.439, 38.476) education compared to illiteracy. Participants in the age groups 26-35 years (AOR = 0.11; 95% CI 0.026, 0.484) and >45 years (AOR = 0.12; 95% CI 0.026, 0.588) were less likely to exhibit good practice compared to those aged 18-25 years. Those working in the private or business sectors were 9 (AOR = 8.81; 95% CI 1.165, 41.455) times more likely to have good practice compared to civil servants. There was a weak but positive correlation between knowledge-attitude (r = 0.228), knowledge-practice (r = 0.220), and attitude-practice scores (r = 0.338). The need for health education on COVID-19 to increase knowledge and attitude is highly recommended, and should be focused on the less educated and other vulnerable groups such as farmers and students, as well as those older than 25 years.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , Female , Adolescent , Young Adult , Adult , Male , Cross-Sectional Studies , Bhutan , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Hospitals , Surveys and Questionnaires , EthiopiaABSTRACT
Attention to environmental caretaking practices of Indigenous, traditional, and rural societies is an important strategy for Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, as well as for greater ecological sustainability and resilience. Rural practices of caring for the eco-social commons in Himalayan Bhutan demonstrate an implicit care ethic. Mahayana Buddhism and indigenous animism blend to create distinctive attitudes and practices of environmental caretaking displayed in rural relationships with forests, mountains, and water bodies that influence community-based natural resource management. Elements of an eco-social care ethic became even more vivid in the nation's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Bhutan's response was among the world's most successful, forestalling any deaths at all for the first nine months of the pandemic and limiting deaths to nine total as the pandemic entered its third year in March 2022. Bhutanese Buddhist values and practices parallel the care ethics articulated by Western moral theorists, providing a contemporary example of caring for the common good and alternative pathways toward flourishing futures. [ FROM AUTHOR]
ABSTRACT
This study explored if Google Classroom (GC) can be used as an alternative for classroom teaching. 316 students (M:120 & F:196), classes ranging from nine to twelve from Phuentsholing HSS in Bhutan responded to the survey. The survey contained quantitative part with close ended questions with the Likert scale and the qualitative questions which was open ended questions. The descriptive analysis was done for quantitative response and simple thematic analysis was done for the qualitative data. The findings indicated that the students had problem with access to Internet and affordability in terms of purchasing the gadgets and paying for the Internet bills. The students were found to be adaptive to this new tool with exploration as they kept using it. Moreover, students agreed that the GC was very much applicable for online teaching and learning as it enabled the continuation of education even when the school remained closed. The study showed that teachers were using different styles to engage the students online for meaningful learning. Some challenges were identified such as high cost of Internet, poor network, students not focusing on their learning, students simply copying assignments without learning anything, time management, teachers simply sending the videos and materials without clear explanation, and no face-to-face interaction for discussion.
ABSTRACT
This paper explores the coronavirus pandemic response from a South Asian perspective. When their case numbers were still relatively low, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries adopted lockdowns at the same time or before India did. On 24 March 2020, when there were just two confirmed cases, Nepal went into lockdown, and Sri Lanka locked down on 22 March, when there were 78 cases. India locked down the day after Nepal, with all countries imposing some form of restrictions on people's movement. This paper draws its data from the first year of the pandemic that loomed in the SAARC nations. The regional cooperation provided by SAARC has allowed the sharing of resources and a strengthening of the region's self-reliance. Notably, the commitment made by India to ensure its neighbours are supplied with vaccines, many of these donated. The eight-member SAARC states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. This paper draws on the knowledge and perceptions of academics and social workers in the SAARC countries. It provides insight into the responses, impacts, vulnerabilities, and challenges faced by the region and in each specific country since the beginning of COVID-19. This paper also offers a discussion on vaccines, PPE, as well as the role of cooperation across the region. The relationship between India and the SAARC countries and its ‘neighbourhood first' policy are also discussed. © 2022 Pulla et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
ABSTRACT
Since October 2019, I worked for 2 years as an endoscopist at Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital, located at Thimphu, Bhutan. Though this period overlapped the COVID-19 pandemic, I was involved in approximately 4, 000 cases of upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy, 350 cases of colonoscopy, and 140 cases of ERCP. In Bhutan, the infection rate of Helicobacter pylori is higher than 70%, and even among young adults the rate is alarming. Gastric cancer is a malignant disease with the highest mortality and is mostly detected in advanced stages. Therefore, a national flagship project that takes aim at the eradication of H. pylori and early detection of gastric cancer has been recently created. Endoscopic health examinations named Endoscopy Camp are being conducted every weekend. In this article, we showed how upper GI endoscopy, colonoscopy, and ERCP is developing in Bhutan, which still lacks sufficient medical resources. We hope more Japanese endoscopists take an active interest in developing countries' medical care. Copyright © 2022 Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: COVID-19 transmission rates in South Asia initially were under control when governments implemented health policies aimed at controlling the pandemic such as quarantines, travel bans, and border, business, and school closures. Governments have since relaxed public health restrictions, which resulted in significant outbreaks, shifting the global epicenter of COVID-19 to India. Ongoing systematic public health surveillance of the COVID-19 pandemic is needed to inform disease prevention policy to re-establish control over the pandemic within South Asia. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to inform public health leaders about the state of the COVID-19 pandemic, how South Asia displays differences within and among countries and other global regions, and where immediate action is needed to control the outbreaks. METHODS: We extracted COVID-19 data spanning 62 days from public health registries and calculated traditional and enhanced surveillance metrics. We use an empirical difference equation to measure the daily number of cases in South Asia as a function of the prior number of cases, the level of testing, and weekly shifts in variables with a dynamic panel model that was estimated using the generalized method of moments approach by implementing the Arellano-Bond estimator in R. RESULTS: Traditional surveillance metrics indicate that South Asian countries have an alarming outbreak, with India leading the region with 310,310 new daily cases in accordance with the 7-day moving average. Enhanced surveillance indicates that while Pakistan and Bangladesh still have a high daily number of new COVID-19 cases (n=4819 and n=3878, respectively), their speed of new infections declined from April 12-25, 2021, from 2.28 to 2.18 and 3.15 to 2.35 daily new infections per 100,000 population, respectively, which suggests that their outbreaks are decreasing and that these countries are headed in the right direction. In contrast, India's speed of new infections per 100,000 population increased by 52% during the same period from 14.79 to 22.49 new cases per day per 100,000 population, which constitutes an increased outbreak. CONCLUSIONS: Relaxation of public health restrictions and the spread of novel variants fueled the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Asia. Public health surveillance indicates that shifts in policy and the spread of new variants correlate with a drastic expansion in the pandemic, requiring immediate action to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Surveillance is needed to inform leaders whether policies help control the pandemic.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Communicable Disease Control/statistics & numerical data , Disease Outbreaks/statistics & numerical data , Health Policy , Public Health/statistics & numerical data , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Asia/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , Communicable Disease Control/legislation & jurisprudence , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Public Health Surveillance , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the normal functions of schools globally. Online learning is a new concept in Bhutan. Nonetheless, classes have begun using various online learning platforms to continue their operations during the pandemic. This study examined primary school teachers' perceived information technology knowledge and proficiency. The participants of this study consisted of 124 primary teachers from two western districts of Bhutan. Data were collected using an online survey. The study's findings suggested that although the majority of participants (98.2%) had access to personal digital devices, slow internet connection and high internet data subscription charges (60.7%) were cited as significant challenges. Findings also revealed that a small percentage of the participants, less than 12 (9.7%) teachers in this study preferred to teach entirely in an online learning environment. The results of multiple linear regression suggested that only technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) [t = 2.68, p = 0.008, [beta] = 0.236] and perceived information technology proficiency of teachers (PITP) [t = 3.55, p = 0.001, [beta] = 0.306] were statistically significant predictors of technological knowledge (TK).
ABSTRACT
Non-pharmacological measures, such as hand hygiene and face mask use, continue to play an important role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a paucity of studies on the adherence to these measures among students in Bhutan. Therefore, we aimed to investigate hand hygiene and face mask-wearing behaviours, as well as their associated factors, among the students of Mongar Higher Secondary School, Bhutan. We conducted a cross-sectional study amongst the students of Mongar Higher Secondary School in Bhutan. The students self-answered the questionnaire on web-based Google Forms. Multivariable logistic regression for good hand washing and face mask use was conducted in order to identify statistically significant socio-demographic covariates. The correlation between hand hygiene and mask use was investigated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. A total of 533 students completed the survey questionnaire, 52.9% (282) of whom were female students. Facebook (44.3%, 236) and TV (35.5%, 189) were the two most popular sources of information on COVID-19 prevention and control. Good (scores of ≥80% of total scores) hand hygiene and face mask use were reported in 33.6% (179) and 22.1% (118) of students. In multivariable logistic regression, male students presented 79% (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23−2.613) odds of engaging in good hand hygiene, compared to female students. Compared to grade 9, those in grade 10 were 60% (AOR = 0.4, 95% CI 0.158−0.998) less likely to engage in good hand hygiene. Boarding students presented 68% (AOR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.001, 2.813) higher odds of wearing a face mask compared to day students. There was a significant positive correlation between good hand hygiene and face mask use (r = 0.3671, p-value < 0.001). Good hand hygiene and face mask use were reported in less than one-third of the study participants. It is recommended to continue educating students on good hand hygiene and face mask use through popular information sources.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Hand Hygiene , Humans , Male , Female , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , Cross-Sectional Studies , Masks , Pandemics/prevention & control , Bhutan/epidemiology , Schools , StudentsABSTRACT
The adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teachers and students has been discussed in different contexts of education, mostly focused on challenges of the imposed transition from physical to virtual teaching. Not much has been written about the resulting predicaments of rural teachers and their students, especially in developing countries like Bhutan. Using a qualitative approach, this article explores these challenges and identifies the coping strategies used by 15 Bhutanese rural teachers regarding online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Possible implications and recommendations for future practice and research are discussed. © 2022 SAGE Publications.
ABSTRACT
While the world was caught off guard by the 2019-2020 COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare systems in Nepal, like other South Asian low-or-middle-income countries experienced drastic consequences. As the overall system came to a halt, Nepal saw crippled general healthcare delivery, poor maternal and neonatal health planning, rising mental health issues, further socioeconomic stratification and other spillovers particularly as a result of prioritizing COVID-19 over other services, whereas its neighbor Bhutan stood out as a meaningful case of contrast despite a similar national lockdown in place. This chapter explores the features of healthcare delivery and resource allocations in the two countries to explain their differential responses to the crisis, and by doing so, looks to inspire discussions of better action plans for South Asia to prepare for similar disasters in the future. © 2022 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
When COVID-19 first emerged in late-2019 in Wuhan, China, without adequate containment, the virus and the economic shock waves that followed quickly spread across the world, leaving few countries unaffected by the contagion. COVID-19 quickly escalated into an ongoing and widespread global crisis, placing acute pressure on prevailing economic systems, governance structures, development institutions and health systems not experienced since the Spanish flu of 1918. In doing so, it crippled economies and ruptured trajectories of globalization and development, with a myriad of negative impacts as well as unintended positive effects such as reduced carbon emissions. As the pandemic continues to unfold, the responses of individual nation-states and sub-national regions have been both varied and divergent.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic and related policy responses have exacerbated global food and nutrition insecurity by disrupting supply chains and destroying livelihoods. Previous studies show that the impact has been particularly severe for poor populations with limited livelihood options, who already faced food insecurity before the pandemic struck. This paper describes how COVID-19-related policy responses have impacted low-income, subsistence-oriented fish farmers in Bhutan. Based on nationally representative data collected between November 2020 and January 2021, the paper documents the responses of 353 Bhutanese fish farmers to the altered operating conditions and market disruptions caused by COVID-19. Results indicate that these farmers' access to inputs such as fish seed have suffered substantial disruptions. However, on the output side of the supply chain, some farmers have made significant gains in terms of increased demand and higher fish prices in informal markets. Furthermore, the food security of most farmers has suffered minimal impact. Overall, Bhutanese fish farmers have proved to be robust to COVID-19-induced adverse outcomes relative to commercial aquaculture producers elsewhere. Small-scale, subsistence-oriented production of fish along with other crops has benefitted the Bhutanese fish farmers by shielding them from the negative economic outcomes associated with market shocks and by directly preserving their food security. Nevertheless, the fish farmers require critical support to access essential inputs and upscale or maintain production infrastructure, so that they can continue fish production during the COVID-19 pandemic and become more robust in the long run.