MADURAI: The National Democratic Alliance is giving high priority to the health sector to ensure everyone is healthy and healthcare is affordable, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed at the foundation-laying ceremony of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Thoppur on Sunday. The prime minister also inaugurated super-specialty blocks at medical colleges in Madurai, Thanjavur and Tirunelveli.
“We all know AIIMS in Delhi has cultivated a brand name in healthcare. With AIIMS in Madurai, this brand has been taken to all corners of the country - from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, to Madurai and from Guwahati to Gujarat,” Mr Modi said.
AIIMS at Madurai will be constructed at a cost of more than Rs1,200 crore and will benefit the entire population of Tamil Nadu, he said. He said that under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, the government has supported and upgraded government medical colleges across India.
The speed of working and scale of Mission Indradhanush, he said, is setting a new paradigm in preventive healthcare. He also said that the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan are making safe pregnancy a mass movement.
Prathan Mantri Arogya Yojana provides financial protection of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year and covers 10 crore needy families in case of hospitalisation. “It is the largest health insurance scheme in the world. I am happy to learn that 1.57 crore persons in Tamil Nadu are covered under this scheme,” Mr Modi said.
He said his government is committed to eliminating tuberculosis by 2025. “I am happy to learn that the state government is up-scaling the TB Free Chennai initiative and seeking to eliminate TB in the state by 2023 itself,” he added.
The Prime Minister inaugurated 12 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras in Tamil Nadu. This initiative is one more example of improving the ‘ease of living’ for citizens.
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami thanked Mr Modi for deciding to build the AIIMS, a 750-bed medical facility that will offer 100 MBBS seats and an intake of 60 seats for nursing college every year, in the state. He also urged the Centre to set up a medical college in Ramanathapuram district.
Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said a facility like AIIMS would benefit the people of backward districts in southern parts of the state.
AIIMS to be completed in 45 months:
The Rs 1,264 crore AIIMS coming up at Thoppur will be built in 45 months on 200 acres of land and will have 16 modular modern operation theatres, eight super specialty departments, and medical and nursing colleges. It will have hostels for students and residential quarters for doctors and nurses and also a helipad to transfer medical emergency cases.
The upgrading of facilities at the Madurai, Thanjavur and Tirunelveli medical college hospitals will cost Rs 150 crore each. These would augment tertiary health services and would each have modular modern operation theatres and modern equipment.
