New Delhi, June 22 (IANS): Now, get a medical degree from a top engineering institute! IIT-Kharagpur in West Bengal would be the first engineering institute in India to venture into medical education.

The hospital-cum-medical college, named Dr B.C. Roy Institute of Medical Science and Research, is likely to become operational by 2017, an official said on Monday.

The hospital will have 400 beds in the first phase while another 750 beds will be added gradually.

"The government has already sanctioned a grant of Rs.230 crore for the facility. Construction work will start soon and is expected to be completed within 26 months," IIT-Kharagpur director Partha Pratim Chakrabarti said in a statement.

"It will bring the two diverse disciplines of engineering and medicine together in education and research. Technology will be used to access and treat large number of patients through satellite centres and secondary hospitals."

Authorities have already sought approval from the Medical Council of India for providing undergraduate medical education courses like MBBS. AIIMS will design the medical courses.

Last week, the union health ministry cleared IIT-Kharagpur's decade-old demand to start specialised medical courses.

The medical college will award MBBS, MD, MS and DM degrees. But the focus will be on research - specially in biomedical, clinical and translational areas.