India, Bahrain to sign healthcare agreement

Dubai, Sep 30 (IANS) India and Bahrain are set to sign a bilateral agreement for the development of small and medium healthcare enterprises in that Gulf nation.

Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, who was on a two-day visit to Bahrain, said that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) would be signed between the two countries when India's Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss visits Bahrain.

'Anbumani Ramadoss may visit Bahrain soon to sign the MoU,' Ahamed told reporters in Manama.

'The Mou will establish guidelines for recruiting doctors and nurses from India to Bahrain and encourage Bahrain's health ministry to benefit from India's surgical facilities of international standard,' he added.

According to Ahamed, under the terms of the proposed agreement, imports of drugs, pharmaceutical products and medical equipment from India to Bahrain will also see an increase.

As for cooperation in other economic fronts, the minister said that both Bahraini and Indian businessmen have identified areas for investment.

He said that Bahrain's Minister for Social Development Fatima Al Beloushi had also expressed interest in India's agriculture technology and small and medium enterprises during her visit to India earlier this year.

'I have also expressed India's interest in being a party to the development of Bahrain in the science and technology realm,' he said.

During the course of his visit, Ahamed also met his Bahraini counterpart Nazar Al Baharna. Al Baharna said that Bahrain looked forward to India's support for various training projects.

'We are ready to share the expertise of our world-class training institutes with Bahrain,' Ahamed said.

Bahrain is home to around 290,000 expatriate Indians.