New Delhi: The Health Ministry, Government of India, has decided to call a meeting on Tuesday i.e. February 16, 2010, with prominent people of renowned medical institutions of India, to decide whether Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) should conduct courses in the field of medical sciences or not. It will be the first major meeting held on that issue.
A health ministry official said that the Government wants to meet experts to understand whether it is feasible to allow IITs to start medical courses and whether it will help better medical education. The official further added that after the meeting, the government will form its opinion on the proposal and send it to the HRD ministry.
The meeting will be attended by the Directors of prominent educational institutions including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), PGI (Chandigarh), Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute (Lucknow), JIPMER, NIMHANS, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, National Institute of Paramedical Sciences and principal of CMC Vellore along with renowned doctors including Dr Ranjit Roychoudhury, Dr Devi Shetty, Dr Anupam Sibal and cardiologist Dr K Srinath Reddy.
Further, the opinions on the issue are clearly divided, despite of the fact that Medical Council of India (MCI) has supported the proposal of IITs. In the background of the issue, HRD minister Kapil Sibal had asked IIT Directors to increase their courses. As a result, IIT Hyderabad has been showing its concern to impart MD degrees in three years. Some major IITs - such as Kharagpur and Hyderabad - are already planning to begin medical schools in next three years.
