The Royal Institute of Health Sciences (RIHS) is one of two main medical education centers in Bhutan

Bhutan

Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...

, the other being the Institute of Traditional Medicine Services

Institute of Traditional Medicine Services (Bhutan)

The Institute of Traditional Medicine Services is based in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, located on a hilltop above the Traditional Arts Center and the National Library. The Institute supplies traditional medicines and medical services, trains doctors, and conducts research on traditional...

. The RIHS was established in Thimphu

Thimphu

Thimphu also spelt Thimpu, is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's dzongkhags, the Thimphu District. The city became the capital of Bhutan in 1961...

 in 1974 as a member college of the Royal University of Bhutan

Royal University of Bhutan

The Royal University of Bhutan , founded on June 2, 2003 by a royal decree is the national university system of Bhutan....

, and is associated with the National Referral Hospital

National Referral Hospital (Thimphu)

The National Referral Hospital is the main hospital in Bhutan, located in the capitol, Thimphu. Since it was established in 1972, the hospital has been supplying free basic medical treatment as well as advanced surgeries and emergency services to citizens from all over the country...

. The RIHS offers diploma and certificate programmes for nurses, medical technicians and other primary health care workers. The institute received the World Health Organization

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...

's 50th Anniversary Award for Primary Health Care in 1998.
Health infrastructure is improving in Bhutan and there is growing number of trained human resources, but the country still had only 2 doctors per 10,000 population in 2005.
The RIHS cannot train doctors, so Bhutan must send candidates to neighboring countries such as Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Myanmar

Myanmar

Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....

 and Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

 for their MBBS course.

Nursing

The institute trains auxiliary nurse midwives, general nurse midwives and assistant nurses.
A joint initiative between La Trobe University

La Trobe University

La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are...

, the World Health Organization

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...

 and the Royal Government of Bhutan gives Bhutanese qualified nurses the opportunity to obtain a bachelor degree.
Students who successfully complete this program are eligible to apply for postgraduate studies in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.

Pharmacy

The RIHS conducts a two-year Pharmacy

Pharmacy

Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...

 Technician Course, teaching students pharmacy and pharmacology

Pharmacology

Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...

, with basic introductions to physiology

Physiology

Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...

, anatomy

Anatomy

Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...

, health education, first aid etc. Other health work trainees are also taught pharmacology and pharmacy on similar lines.

Physiotherapy

The RIHS offers a program in Physiotherapy, following which the students work for a few more months in the general referral hospital, and are then sent out to provide services in various districts across the country.

Other Courses

The institute also trains health assistants, basic health workers, and technicians of various other disciplines such as laboratory

Medical Laboratory Assistant

Medical Laboratory Assistants prepare, and in some cases process samples within a pathology laboratory. They also utilise pre-analytical systems in order for biomedical scientists or Medical Laboratory Scientific Officers to process the biochemical tests requested on the sample. The majority of...

, dental

Dental assistant

Dental assistants assist the dental operator provide more efficient dental treatment, by preparing the patient for treatment, sterilizing instruments, passing instruments during the procedure, holding a suction device, exposing dental radiographs, taking impressions, and fabricating provisional...

, x-ray

Radiologic technologist

A radiologic technologist, also known as medical radiation technologist and as radiographer, performs imaging of the human body for diagnosis or treating medical problems...

, ophthalmology

Ophthalmology

Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...

and operation theater.