Sunday, May 2, 2010

Foundation of Bhutan’s First Medical College Laid by Bhutan and Indian PMs

Foundation of the first medical college in Bhutan has been laid jointly by Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley and Dr Manmonhan Singh, prime ministers of Bhutan and India respectively, on Friday. Bhutan institute of medical sciences (BIMS), as it has been named, will start its academic program by July 2011 and have two campuses- one at Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) complex and another one at Serbithang complex. The project will be funded by the government of India.

BIMS will work as an autonomous body which will be run separately from the royal university of Bhutan.

Kuenselonline reported:

According to project coordinator of BIMS, Yenten Jamtsho, construction will begin only after a detailed project report has been drawn up by consultants from India, who are expected in the country soon.

Existing buildings at the JDWNRH complex will be renovated into pre clinical departments, and new structures will be built to accommodate facilities that cannot be housed in the existing buildings.

The Nu 250M construction project, funded by the government of India, will be awarded to a Bhutanese contractor, with a project implementation authority to oversee the work.

The college will be built at par with standards approved by the Indian and Bhutanese medical councils, and will have to fulfil criteria such as setting up 20 departments.

The medical college will open up a new opportunity for the Bhutanese students. More than that, Bhutan’s medical sector is also expected to be developed. It will have 20 departments to fulfill the requirement of the medical councils of the two countries. Primarily, BIMS will admit 50 students of which 30 students will be from India as par the MOU signed last year between the two countries.

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