Dalai Lama leaves for U.S. for annual health check up

Dharamsala: Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama left for the United States on Tuesday for a health check-up.

The Nobel Peace laureate visits Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for a yearly health check-up. He had gone there for a health check up in September last.

Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay, accompanied the Buddhist monk to the airport here.

The 80-year-old Dalai Lama said the first day at the hospital would be spent getting a complete health check-up followed by any treatment that the doctors would deem necessary.

“The Mayo Hospital usually (does a) medical check-up so then they advise me that I need certain things because of that, you need precaution, some of that. So, now this time (on) the first day (they will carry out a) thorough medical check-up (and) then if they find something (wrong or any) problems then accordingly they can carry treatment,” said the Dalai Lama.

Speaking at the airport, the Dalai Lama said he had a minor problem in his eye, but was not ill otherwise.

The maroon-robed monk added that it was a routine check up and during the course of the visit he would also be meeting scientists at Wisconsin University.

“I think second week of March, I will return. Then also some programme there. I think mainly Wisconsin University, some scientific meeting,” added the Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in India in 1959 after a failed uprising against the Chinese rule, has been pressing for greater autonomy for Tibet within China through a dialogue with Beijing.

China has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since Communist troops took over the region in 1950. Beijing regards the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist, who wants an independent Tibet. (ANI)