The Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru has received its single largest private donation of Rs 425 crore, which will be used to set up a postgraduate medical school along with a multispeciality 800-bed hospital on its Bengaluru campus.
IISc. signed a partnership with philanthropists Susmita and Subroto Bagchi, and Radha and N.S. Parthasarathy, who collectively donated the amount. The project will be in line with global examples of integrating science, engineering and medicine under a single institution, creating physician-scientists.
IISc. Director Govindan Rangarajan said the new venture would be named IISc. Medical School and Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital. He added, “The academic centrepiece of this initiative will be an integrated dual degree MD-PhD programme aimed at creating a new breed of physician-scientists, who will pursue a career in clinical research to develop new treatments and healthcare solutions, driven by a bench-to-bedside philosophy. They will be trained simultaneously in the hospital as well as in the science and engineering laboratories at IISc.”
The students admitted in specific MD/MS and DM/MCh programmes will also be trained in appropriate sections of the hospital along with their classroom and laboratory training. The hospital will also implement advanced digital technologies and solutions, such as integrated Electronic Medical Record systems and a comprehensive telemedicine suite with haptics interfaces.
Prof. Rangarajan added that it will have a mixture of beds — private as well as insurance beds where patients can avail themselves of benefits under the government insurance schemes. The PG medical school will have an intake of 70 students and will start admission from 2025.
