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IIT-KGP leads the way, sets up medical school
The oldest Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur will be the first IIT to start a medical school two years from now.
The oldest Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur will be the first IIT to start a medical school two years from now.
The 59-year-old institute has signed a deal with University of California, San Diego in the US, to set up a state-of-the-art 300-bed hospital. It can be expanded in future to 750 beds.
The school will offer graduate, post-graduate and research programmes in medicine and bio-medical engineering, said Damodar Acharya, director of IIT-Kharagpur.
Founded in 1960, University of California is a name in clinical services, management, education and research. “We’ve three new innovations every day. With this partnership, the best of technology and the best of medical sciences will come together in India,” said Tom McAfee, dean of clinical affairs at the university’s San Diego Health Sciences.
The fund required, about $ 60 million (about Rs 300 crore), “will be generated through a public-private partnership,” Acharya said.
He said, “While there will be grants from the Human Resource Development ministry, IIT-Kharagpur will also generate some resources.”
The new institute, tentatively named School of Medical Science & Research will also offer courses on nursing, hospital administration, quality assessment and safety, pharmacy and paramedical sciences.
