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Kolkata, April 16: THE Indian Institute of Technology at Khragpur, the oldest and largest IIT is introducing for the first time in the country a postgraduate programme in medical science and technology from this session.
Internationally, only a few important technological institutes like Stanford, MIT, Harvard and Tokyo conduct such programmes.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, IIT Kharagpur’s director, Prof A Ghosh, said that a fusion of medical science with physical sciences and technology is felt desirable. “This will help in achieving fundamental and high-end related research,” he said.

Initially, degree holders in medicine (MBBS) having mathematics at the 10+2 level will be entitled to join this three-year course, the Master of Medical Science & Technology, if they clear a national joint entrance examination.

After the IIT develops the infrastructure, BE and BTech degree holders will also be given admission to this course. Prof Ghosh said the curriculum and syllabus have been drawn up and the programme is expected to go on stream from August 2001.

The predominantly research programme is aimed at building a generation of medical scientists whose innovation will take the country forward in its knowledge-base and ability. The programme is expected to create an interface between medical and technology groups in-order to develop products through innovative research work.

The thrust areas of research will be genetic engineering and molecular biology, material sciences including polymers, metals and alloys, telemedicine, fibre optics, nutritional sciences and plant-based products, cryobiology, biomedical instrumentation etc.

The students will cooperate with the manufacturing industry and this cooperation is expected eventually to reduce import and make the country self-sufficient in biological products.

India at present imports around Rs 1,000-crore worth of biological products a year. At the current pace of growth, such imports are likely to go up to Rs 7,000 crore in the next 10 years.

IIT will require around Rs 35 crore in the initial stages. Prof Ghosh said money would not be a problem to run the programme. “We hope the country will derive considerable benefit from it in the next 5-10 years,” he said.
But why IIT Kharagpur and not any pioneering medical research institute like Indian Council for Medical Research? Explains Prof Ghosh: “Such institutes are basically focussed to medical services and do not have the required infrastructure, while we have a highly developed laboratory and research facilities and is already engaged in innovative investigations in certain areas like biotechnology, telemedicine, plant research etc.”

He pointed out that the IITs are autonomous bodies with considerable power and access to funds, which are vitally important for such research.