A second medical school is to be set up in Fiji to train doctors both for the country and for international needs.
The establishment of the Dr Uma Nand Prasad School of Medicine is being funded by an initial grant of 600-thousand US dollars by Dr Prasad of Adelaide and will be part of the new University of Fiji which is based in Lautoka.
The medical school will also be closely linked to a new state-of-the-art hospital planned to be built near the Apollo Hospital Group of India.
The University of Fiji vice chancellor, Professor Rajesh Chandra, says former Fiji doctors now abroad such as Dr Prasad as well as Dr Karam Singh of Sydney and Dr Michael Chand of the United States are expected to raise the 18-million US dollars that is needed.
The Apollo Group's 37-million US dollar hospital will offer treatment for which people currently have to travel overseas and is expected to lead to the development of medical tourism in Fiji.
