Bangladesh increases five seats for Bhutanese medical students

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced five additional seats for Bhutanese students in government medical colleges in Bangladesh, taking the total number of seats reserved for students from the country to 15 per year.

She made the announcement during official talks with her visiting counterpart Lotay Tshering in Dhaka on Saturday, the foreign ministry said.

Tshering, himself a medical doctor who studied at Mymensingh Medical College, thanked the Bangladesh side for providing opportunities for Bhutanese students in higher educational institutions in Bangladesh, particularly in the medical colleges.

The two countries signed MoUs on cooperation in the fields of agriculture and tourism and on mutual collaboration in the field of public administration training.

To enhance cooperation in the health sector, an MoU was signed to facilitate the recruitment of Bangladeshi specialist doctors by Bhutan under “attractive remuneration” packages.

Both leaders discussed the potential for enhancing bilateral trade, including the use of inland waterways for transportation of bilateral trade.

Transit cargoes was discussed and a Standard Operating Procedure was signed to this effect.

They also discussed transmission of electricity, investment in hydropower in Bhutan, multi-modal connectivity, particularly through the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) initiative.

A joint statement will be issued at the end of the visit, the foreign ministry said.

Before the official talks, the two prime ministers met tete-a-tete where Hasina recalled with gratitude that Bhutan was the first country to recognise the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.

The Bhutanese premier, while visiting the National Martyrs Memorial at Savar and the Bangabandhu National Museum on Friday, expressed his deep sympathies for the people of Bangladesh who endured the genocide and atrocities during the Liberation War in 1971.

Hasina thanked him for the visit and expressed hope that he would enjoy the Pahela Baishakh celebrations in Dhaka and experience the spirit of tradition, harmony and tolerance amongst the people of Bangladesh.

Tshering will join the ‘Surer Dhara’ musical soiree celebrating the Bangla New Year in Dhaka early in the morning on Sunday before a visit to his alma mater Mymensingh Medical College.

He will leave Dhaka on Monday, ending his four-day maiden visit to Bangladesh as the prime minister.