How IITs and IISc are redefining medical education in India

In March 2026, IIT Kharagpur—the oldest Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) that has been training thousands of minds to design bridges, cars, and computer chips for the last 75 years did something unprecedented. It formally applied to the National Medical Commission (NMC) to offer a postgraduate medical degree, the Doctor of Medicine (MD). (Sign up for THEdge, The Hindu’s weekly education newsletter.) It was not an isolated move. In August 2026, an alumnus of IIT-Kanpur pledged a massive ₹400 crore boost —building on a landmark ₹100 crore donation in 2022 — to expand its medical school and 450-bed super-specialty hospital to offer postgraduate programs in super-specialty medicine. Within days, IIT-Madras stepped up to announce an even bolder vision: offering not just an MD, but an MBBS and a Ph.D. in medicine through its School of Medical Sciences, started in 2023. A century-old assumption — that engineering colleges build engineers and medical colleges make doctors — is falling apart. For over six decades, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have served as India’s temples of engineering excellence. So why are they suddenly stepping into healthcare and running hospitals? The short answer is: modern healthcare is no longer just about stethoscopes and…