Now Reading: IIT Madras to offer MBBS, MD degrees, says director
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IIT Madras to offer MBBS, MD degrees, says director
IIT Madras Director Professor V. Kamakoti has announced that the institute will open a school of medical sciences and award its own medical degrees, including MBBS, MD, and PhD. In an exclusive…
IIT Madras Director Professor V. Kamakoti has announced that the institute will open a school of medical sciences and award its own medical degrees, including MBBS, MD, and PhD. In an exclusive interview, Kamakoti said that any technology institution must start a medical school for the country to survive the medical market. The plan aims to train doctors who also understand engineering, reducing India's dependence on imported medical technology.
The institute already has a Department of Medical Sciences and Technology launched in 2023, offering a four-year undergraduate degree for medical technologists, but this new school would produce practising doctors. However, the plan requires approval from the National Medical Commission and a teaching hospital. IIT Kharagpur followed a similar path, first building a hospital and starting a postgraduate MD course, while its MBBS plan awaits infrastructure.
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India's medical device import bill is estimated at over Rs 60,000 crore annually, and the government has long pushed for domestic manufacturing under the Production Linked Incentive scheme. IIT Madras, with its existing healthcare technology centre and brain-mapping institute, is uniquely placed to bridge engineering and clinical training. The real bottleneck is the National Medical Commission's requirement for a 300-bed teaching hospital, a multi-year investment. The closest precedent is IIT Kharagpur, which took nearly a decade from announcing its hospital to winning approval for MD courses. The next milestone to watch is whether IIT Madras secures land and funding for its hospital in the next two budgets.
Source: indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
