Nearly 19 years after former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam laid the foundation stone for its proposed medical research centre, IIT Kharagpur has secured approval to introduce postgraduate medical education, marking its formal entry into the field.
The institute will offer 12 National Medical Commission (NMC)-accredited MD seats across six specialisations from the 2026–27 academic session. However, its original plan to establish an MBBS college alongside a super-speciality hospital remains on hold.
The development makes IIT Kharagpur the first Indian Institute of Technology to introduce NMC-accredited postgraduate medical degree programmes.
Six MD Specialisations with 12 Seats
The programmes will be offered at the Dr B.C. Roy Multi-Speciality Medical Research Centre, with two seats in each of the following disciplines:
- MD General Medicine – 2 seats
- MD Radiology – 2 seats
- MD Physiology – 2 seats
- MD Pathology – 2 seats
- MD Community Medicine – 2 seats
- MD Biochemistry – 2 seats
Admissions for the 2026–27 academic session will be conducted through the NEET-PG online counselling process. The seats have been included in the second round of counselling, subject to the official eligibility requirements and admission schedule.
The institute’s first batch of postgraduate medical students is expected to begin classes in early January 2027.
A Vision That Began in 2007
The institute’s medical education ambitions date back to May 17, 2007, when then President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam laid the foundation stone for the Dr B.C. Roy Multi-Speciality Medical Research Centre.
The original vision was to establish an MBBS college and a super-speciality hospital, bringing medical education, advanced healthcare and research together within the IIT ecosystem.
Over the following years, the institute repeatedly indicated plans to introduce undergraduate medical courses. In 2015, the proposed 400-bed hospital was described as a foundation for medical education, while in 2019, the institute discussed an initial MBBS intake of 50 students, with a possible expansion to 100 in a subsequent phase.
However, the undergraduate programme did not materialise as planned.
Infrastructure Constraints Delayed MBBS Programme
The MBBS proposal remained stalled due to infrastructure and institutional requirements for undergraduate medical education.
In 2021, the institute restructured its medical facilities, separating the earlier medical research centre into the Dr B.C. Roy Medical College and the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Institute of Medical Sciences and Research.
The institute subsequently strengthened its medical education framework, including the establishment of a faculty of integrated health science and technology and the appointment of a dean for medical science.
In October 2025, IIT Kharagpur was preparing to introduce postgraduate medical courses, while its MBBS proposal continued to remain pending.
The latest NMC approval represents a significant step forward, although the institute has indicated that expanding into undergraduate medical education will require additional time and resources.
Bringing Medicine, Engineering and AI Together
The postgraduate programmes are intended to build connections between clinical medicine and IIT Kharagpur’s established strengths in engineering, artificial intelligence, biomedical science and research.
The interdisciplinary approach could create opportunities for collaboration in areas such as medical imaging, AI-assisted diagnostics, biomedical devices and translational research.
The institute aims to develop a model in which medical professionals can combine clinical expertise with technological innovation to address healthcare challenges.
With its first 12 postgraduate seats, IIT Kharagpur has taken a significant step towards its long-standing medical education vision. However, the proposed MBBS college remains an unfinished part of the original plan announced nearly two decades ago.
Disclaimer: This report has been editorially prepared using publicly available information and official statements. Readers are advised to refer to official announcements for further details.
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