IIT Madras to produce doctors. Here's what Director V Kamakoti said on institution's push for medical degrees

IIT Madras, one of the renowned engineering institutions, is planning to open a school of medical sciences and award medical degrees of its own, India Today reported, citing Director Professor V Kamakoti's statement. These medical degrees would range from the undergraduate MBBS and the postgraduate MD to the doctoral PhD.

In an interview with the news outlet, Professor Kamakoti said, “IIT Madras will certainly launch a school of medical sciences.” He added, "We want to give medical degrees, and I think that will be something which will make the institute much bigger."

The push for medical degrees isn't new; it dates back to May 2023, when the Department of Medical Sciences and Technology was set up which offers a four-year undergraduate degree that trains a hybrid graduate. The institution is on a path to produce part engineer, part biologist, called medical technologists and physician-scientists, to design scanners, implants and software equipment, all of which assist in medical treatment. These researchers will possess an understanding of both the human body and the machine.

According to Kamakoti, all technology institutions must start a medical school to survive the medical market. He believes that modern medicine now runs on technology and emphasized the need to build it domestically. His belief stems from the COVID-19 pandemic experience which exposed the risk of being dependent on technology from abroad.

He further pointed out that India still imports a large share of its high-end medical equipment. To produce machines in the home country and bridge the gap between doctors and engineers in terms of technology, both professionals should be trained under the same roof so that they think in the same language.

What is the roadmap to award medical degrees?

The roadmap to award medical degrees is not as smooth as it seems as medical education in India is governed by the National Medical Commission (NMC).

The regulator determines who may run a medical college and award medical degrees, including MBBS, the standard degree a doctor earns. Any institution planning to grant medical degrees requires the commission's approval, besides having a teaching hospital. This working hospital is a prerequisite to ensure students gain practical experience while learning to treat real patients.

IIT Kharagpur is the leading example of this type of integration, as it won approval to start a postgraduate MD course. However, its undergraduate MBBS plan is still in progress due to infrastructural constraints. Although IIT Madras' 2023 department already partners with leading city hospitals while its engineers work beside the clinicians, the map to follow is hospital first, regulator's nod later.

More about IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti

V Kamakoti is a computer scientist born in Chennai in 1968 who earned an MS and a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Madras. He is one of the six-member high-powered task force constituted by the Centre to reform the education system and address examination failures. Popular for his advocacy for the alleged medicinal benefits of cow urine, he said cow urine possessed antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties during a gathering in Chennai in January 2025.