Chennai, Aug 4 (PTI) In a major push to strengthen the state’s public healthcare infrastructure, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday inaugurated hospital buildings and commissioned advanced
medical equipment worth Rs 113 crore across various districts.
Virtually inaugurating the facilities from the Secretariat, the CM opened upgraded infrastructure at government hospitals in Aranthangi, Pallipattu, Podaturpet, Athoor, Marakkanam and Valavanur.
He also inaugurated a dedicated Radiotherapy Centre at the Kanyakumari Government Medical College Hospital, according to a press release.
At the Government Hospital in Aranthangi in Pudukkottai district, which has been upgraded to a district headquarters hospital, a new six-storey building was constructed at Rs 46 crore.
Advanced medical equipment worth Rs 2.81 crore was commissioned, as well.
The new facility comprises an emergency ward, CT scan and X-ray units, dialysis services, paediatric and neonatal intensive care units, a blood bank, a ward under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme, a toxicology treatment unit and operation theatres.
In Virudhunagar district, infrastructure at the Sivakasi Government Hospital was expanded for Rs 32.65 crore, including Rs 28.80 crore for a new six-storey building and Rs 3.85 crore for medical equipment.
The expansion adds an intensive care unit and a maternal and child health wing, increasing the hospital’s capacity by 150 beds— 50 ICU beds and 100 maternity beds—and taking its total bed strength from 140 to 290.
The facility is equipped with a centralised oxygen supply system, lifts and modern fire safety systems.
To strengthen cancer care in southern Tamil Nadu, the CM inaugurated a new Radiotherapy Centre at the Kanyakumari Government Medical College Hospital, built at Rs 6.78 crore.
Of this, Rs 4 crore was spent on a 20-bed bunker building and Rs 2.78 crore on a radiotherapy machine. The facility was established with World Bank assistance under the Tamil Nadu Health System Reform Programme.
The centre is expected to reduce the need for cancer patients in the region to travel to Thiruvananthapuram, Madurai, Tirunelveli or Chennai for specialised treatment.
The CM further inaugurated upgraded infrastructure at government hospitals in Pallipattu (Rs 1.75 crore) and Podaturpet (Rs 1.05 crore) in Thiruvallur; Athoor (Rs 3.50 crore) in Dindigul; and Marakkanam (Rs 3.50 crore) and Valavanur (Rs 3.50 crore) in Villupuram.
The projects are expected to strengthen emergency, surgical, radiology and outpatient care at these hospitals. PTI SNR SSK
