IISc inks MoU with Prashanth Prakash to set up geriatrics wing

Through physician-scientists, there is immense potential for the Institute to bring advancements in Gerosciences and Healthy-aging to help people live their most extended, healthiest lives possible, he said.

The Indian Institute of Science has entered into an MoU with Prashanth Prakash, founding partner of Accel and Chairman of Karnataka's Startup Vision Group, to set up a geriatrics wing as part of IISc's upcoming Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital.

The Shantha & Prakash Geriatrics Wing is expected to be operational by the start of 2025, Bengaluru-based IISc said in a statement. The wing will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities in geriatrics to support academic and research programs, and to enable PG students to undergo world-class training, it said. ''It will take forward the IISc Medical School's objective of integrating science, engineering, and medicine under a single umbrella to produce a new generation of physician-scientists,'' the statement said.

IISc Director Prof Govindan Rangarajan, Director, IISc, said despite advances in integrative medicine, long-term care including post-acute care of the elderly is a universal challenge. With increasing life expectancy, he said, it is also crucial to ensure healthy aging of the population. ''These multiple challenges require an interdisciplinary approach for effective care and we are sure that the Shantha & Prakash Geriatrics Wing will fuel and drive the much-needed innovation in this space", Rangarajan added.

Prakash said proactively managing age-related comorbidities will help prolong the period during which individuals can enjoy maximum physical and cognitive independence. ''Through physician-scientists, there is immense potential for the Institute to bring advancements in Geosciences and Healthy-aging to help people live their most extended, healthiest lives possible", he said.