Tele-medicine services will become operational between India, Bhutan and Sri Lanka by this year end, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here today. "To start the tele-medicine service by September this year, a Memorandum of Understanding has already been signed between India and Bhutan," he said adding the service would then become operational between Indian and Sri Lanka too by the year-end. "The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research here has been chosen as one of the super-specialty institutes for the implementation of the telemedicine programme among SAARC countries", Mukherjee said, while addressing the students and faculty during the 29th annual Convocation of the Institute.Pointing to the importance of quality health care among the poor, he said "The 10th Plan allocation for health was Rs. 42,000 crore, while the 11th Plan envisages tripling the allocation". Praising the faculty of the PGIMER, he said "since the faculty was among the best in India I would urge doctors to focus their energies to improving health in this country." "We need to do a lot more grass-roots research on the epidemiology of diseases, on infections, on nutrition and its interaction with the healing processes, on simplified treatment regimens and so on," he said. (Agencies)