From engineers to doctors: IIT Madras to launch medical school, offer MBBS and MD degrees

For nearly seven decades, IIT Madras has been synonymous with engineering. Now, the institute is set to redefine its identity by entering medical education. In an exclusive interview with India Today on campus, IIT Madras Director Prof. V. Kamakoti announced plans to establish a School of Medical Sciences that will award its own medical degrees, including MBBS, MD, and PhD.

“IIT Madras will certainly launch a school of medical sciences,” Prof. Kamakoti said. “We want to give medical degrees, and I think that will be something which will make the institute much bigger.”

A hybrid foundation already in place

The move builds on existing infrastructure. In May 2023, IIT Madras launched the Department of Medical Sciences and Technology, offering a four-year undergraduate programme that trains “hybrid graduates,” part engineer, part biologist. These students are geared toward designing medical devices, imaging systems, implants, and health-tech software, not treating patients.

The proposed medical school, however, aims higher: to produce practising doctors. This would mark a significant expansion from training medical technologists and physician-scientists to educating clinicians who can work at the intersection of medicine and technology.

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Why an IIT wants to make doctors

Prof. Kamakoti’s rationale is strategic. “Any technology institution must start a medical school,” he said. “Otherwise, as a country, we cannot survive the medical market.” He traced the idea to lessons from the pandemic, which highlighted how dependent India is on imported high-end medical equipment.

To design indigenous medical technology, he argues, India must train doctors and engineers together, under one roof, speaking the same technical language.

The Regulatory Hurdle

The path to awarding MBBS and MD degrees is not straightforward. Medical education in India is regulated by the National Medical Commission (NMC), which approves medical colleges and degrees. An IIT cannot unilaterally start an MBBS programme; it requires NMC clearance and a functioning teaching hospital where students gain clinical experience.

IIT Kharagpur offers a precedent: it built its own hospital and secured approval for a postgraduate MD course, though its MBBS plan remains pending due to infrastructure requirements. IIT Madras would need to follow a similar route, hospital first, regulator second.

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An advantageous starting point

IIT Madras enters the race with strong foundations. Its campus already hosts a healthcare technology centre, a brain-mapping institute, and active collaborations with leading Chennai hospitals. With engineers and clinicians already working side by side, Prof. Kamakoti envisions the next generation arriving as both.

If approved, the School of Medical Sciences could reshape not just IIT Madras, but India’s approach to medical innovation and self-reliance.