New Delhi: Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry's proposal to allow medical courses in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) is faced with opposition from the health ministry. The health ministry believes that the proposal is sure to create a regulation problem.
According to the Health Ministry official, there will be regulation problem. Overlapping of jurisdiction is not good for medical discipline. The officials said this while responding to the HRD ministry's decision to amend the IIT Act to incorporate medicine in their courses.
Presently, medical colleges in the country are regulated by the Medical Council of India under the Ministry of Health, Government of India. Health ministry officials said that there was no clarity on who will regulate the proposed medicine courses in IITs, which are run by the HRD ministry.
Health Ministry official also said that although it will be a legislative decision, they believe that IITs should focus on their core area of competence – engineering and technology. Further, the officials said that they will continue to voice their opposition to any move, to allow core medical courses in IITs.
Minister of State for Human Resource Development D. Purandeswari informed the Lok Sabha Wednesday that her ministry has decided to amend the IIT Act, the legislation that governs the technology institutes, to include medicine courses. At least two IITs, including IIT-Kharagpur, have expressed their desire to widen their scope and start medicine courses.
