March 31: The Foreign Secretary Yeshey Dorji and the Indian Ambassador to Bhutan Mr. Sudhir Vyas signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a Telemedicine Project for SAARC member states.

With the setting up of the telemedicine project, the national referral hospital will be connected with super-specialty hospitals in India. It would also facilitate teleconferencing and video-conferencing for Bhutanese doctors with specialists in India.

The facility also has provision for continuing medical education for general doctors wishing to specialize in various areas.


The telemedicine project was proposed by the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at the 13th SAARC Summit in Dhaka. India will provide the funds to implement the project and the recurring expenses for the project in the first year.

The Foreign Secretary said the project will help enhance the capacity of doctors in the country.