UCSD teaming up on India health center

UCSD Health Sciences and an Indian institute signed a preliminary agreement to collaborate in the development of a new medical center in India.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur and UCSD signed the agreement in Kharagpur, West Bengal, India. This is the first of its kind between an American university and an Indian institution.

IIT, Kharagpur is the first and largest of the IIT chain of higher education institutes in India that focuses on engineering and technology.

“This exciting partnership is an extension of UCSD Health Sciences’ traditional core mission - to provide excellent and compassionate patient care, advance medical discoveries and educate future health care providers,” said Mounir Soliman, MD, MBA, executive director of UCSD Health Sciences International.

“The establishment of an academic medical center to include the best in clinical care, as well as undergraduate and post-graduate programs in medical education, will be a perfect partnership - bringing together the strengths of both institutions.”

The agreement describes the two institution’s collaborative plan to build a 300-bed, hospital on land provided by IIT, Kharagpur. The International Academic Medical Center (IMC) will include a research and development center, as well as an infrastructure for the training of health care providers. UCSD will partner in developing the IMC, providing leadership and training in such areas as nursing, hospital administration, health information systems, pharmaceutical practices, telemedicine, quality assessment and safety, among others.

UCSD and IIT, Kharagpur’s research collaboration will include faculty, student and resident exchange programs and jointly supervised clinical trials.

“Our hope is to help transform health care by merging the resources of two world leaders in medicine and technology with the goal of promoting excellence in research and education,” said Soliman.

The government of India established IIT, Kharagpur in 1951 as the first of 15 engineering and technology-oriented institutes of higher education. It is officially recognized as an Institute of National Importance by the Government of India and is regarded as one of the best engineering institutions in the country.