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| Tuesday, April 15, 2008
IIT-M plans to start post-graduate department of medicine
CHENNAI: The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, is planning
a proposal to get a post-graduate department of medicine.
According to IIT-M director M.S. Ananth, a proposal to introduce
a post-graduate medical school at the IIT will be submitted
to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development within the
next three months.
Ruing the separation of medical and technical education in India,
Dr. Ananth pointed out that “about 80 per cent of medicine
is in engineering these days. Yes, the doctor has the final
say, but engineering can help in diagnostics. That is something
we just can’t ignore…. It is a situation that needs
corrective action.” Addressing an industry event in Chennai
on Monday, he said he was “taking efforts to see if IIT
can’t start a medical school, at least at the post-graduate
level.”
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Dr. Ananth
said he was in consultations with a number of doctors, including
those at the Voluntary Health Service, Taramani and the Sundaram
Medical Foundation, whose doctors already serve as adjunct professors
at IIT. The suggestions of these doctors would help him formulate
a proposal to put to the Ministry, he said.
The plan is likely to include a hospital in association with
the post-graduate department.
“Issues of autonomy”
The obstacles to this plan could arise from “issues of
autonomy,” said Dr. Ananth. “Frankly, I have been
scared off by the Medical Council [of India]. I thought the
All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) was bad enough,
but I’m told that this is worse,” he said, amid
laughter from the audience. Dr. Ananth said he was “looking
to see if the Act of Parliament that created the IITs can’t
liberate me from these ills.” The IITs are autonomous
institutes, which do not come under the authority of the AICTE,
which governs technical education in India.
Courtesy: The Hindu
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