New Delhi: The proposal of the Union Health Ministry to set up medical colleges and start courses in medicine and surgery in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) has been declined by the expert committee that presided over on Tuesday to discuss the same.

The top honchos however, gave their nod to start PhD programmes in technology related branches of medicine such as e-health, biomedical engineering and tele-medicine in the premier engineering and technology institutes of the country.

The Health Secretary Sujatha Rao, who chaired the expert committee meeting, said that, "The IITs are known for their technical proficiency and I find no reason for them to be associated with treating diarrhea and tuberculosis when they can excel in booming areas like biomedical engineering."

Ranging from optimal drug delivery solutions to maintaining deep freezers, the IITs could contribute in areas that need multidisciplinary approach.

IIT Kharagpur and Madras were in favour of setting up medical colleges in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode with hospitals.

President of the Medical Council of India (MCI), Dr. Ketan Desai said that, "Diluting the core competence of IITs is not acceptable but should rather be used to enhance health care delivery."

Discussing the proposal regarding the setting up of National Council for Human Resources in Health, which is expected to be a regulatory body to ensure coordinated development of medical education and maintain a live electronic register of health professionals.

Based on disease and death trends instead of population, it was proposed that the council should help evolve a health delivery plan.

"The committee resolved to not to disband the statuary councils such as medical, dental and nursing councils of India," said an official.