The Ministry of Health and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed the ‘Minutes of Discussions’ for the preparatory survey towards the construction of the Royal Centre for Infectious Diseases (RCID) today. The signing event was graced by the Health Minister and witnessed by the Chief Representative of JICA Bhutan and the Policy and Planning Division of the Ministry.
An initiative of Health Minister Dechen Wangmo, the RCID, a 100-bedded state-of-the-art hospital is the first of its kind in the country that was planned even before the global pandemic started.
The Centre will support Bhutan in building a resilient health system by improving the quality of treatment for serious infectious diseases and preventing the spread of infection. The Centre will be equipped with the latest medical equipment and support the development of human resources for the management of infectious diseases.
The Royal Centre for Infectious Diseases will be constructed in Gidakom under Thimphu Dzongkhag. The construction is scheduled to begin next year and is expected to be completed in the 13th Five-Year Plan.
The project will be officially started after formal approval by the Government of Japan, and it is supported under the Grant Aid Project of JICA.
A team of Japanese Experts visited Bhutan in November 2021 to conduct preparatory surveys for the construction. Several meetings were virtually conducted between the officials from the Ministry of Health, JICA Head Quarter, and Japanese Experts.
