India helps Nepal, Bhutan to set up medical colleges

New Delhi, Feb 25 : India has helped Nepal and Bhutan to set up medical colleges, the Lok Sabha was informed Wednesday.

Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare P. Lakshmi said the B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan, with a 350-bed hospital, was set up with Indian assistance worth Rs.120 crore (Rs.1.2 billion).

She said the institute, which offers 100 medical seats, was formally handed to Kathmandu in 1999. Ten of its seats are earmarked for Indians in the MBBS course.

Bhutan has sought Indian assistance to set up a medical college in Thimpu, she said.