IIT Madras is looking to move beyond its traditional engineering focus and eventually offer medical degrees, including MBBS and MD, according to Director V. Kamakoti.
In an interview, Kamakoti said the institute wants future students to gain expertise in both medicine and technology. He said IIT Madras plans to gradually set up a hospital, obtain the required permissions, and then launch structured MBBS and MD programmes.
Pointing to IIT Kharagpur as an example, he noted that it has built its own hospital and secured approval to start the MD programme. However, he added that IIT Kharagpur’s MBBS plan has not yet been implemented due to infrastructure requirements.
Kamakoti argued that India still imports a large share of high-end medical equipment, and that training doctors and engineers “under one roof” could help the country design and develop domestic medical technology.
Medical education in India is regulated by the National Medical Commission (NMC), which decides who can run a medical college and award MBBS degrees. The report notes that opening a medical college requires NMC approval and access to a hospital where students can learn through real patient care.
