Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday announced multi-crore projects in the health sector, including the establishment of a Centre of Excellence at a cost of ₹120 crore at the Arignar Anna Memorial Cancer Hospital at Karapettai in Kancheepuram district.
Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, Mr. Palaniswami said additional primary health centres and urban primary health centres would be converted into welfare centres to provide 12 types of treatment, including pain relief, prevention, reduction and rehabilitation. The total allocation for this project is ₹105 crore.
New buildings would be constructed for health sub-centres at a cost of ₹79.93 crore under the Health for All scheme.
Mr. Palaniswami also announced the upgrading of the Erode District Headquarters Hospital as a super-specialty hospital. The fund allocation for the project is ₹67.79 crore.
The Chief Minister said that since the first hour after an accident was considered the ‘golden hour’, the State government would set up Multi-disciplinary Critical Care Units at a cost of ₹49.01 crore in one hospital each in 32 districts to treat accident victims.
Rehabilitation centre
Another project in the offing is the creation of a world-class Rehabilitation Centre at the Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at K.K. Nagar in Chennai at a cost of ₹40 crore.
The Chief Minister said a Linear Accelerator would be purchased for the Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital in Salem for treatment of cancer.
Suicide counselling
He also announced the setting up of counselling centres at 22 medical college hospitals to provide counseling for prevention of suicides. The service would be provided through the ‘104’ toll-free number.
“As part of the government’s efforts to extend the services of government hospitals, a new scheme, ‘My Hospital My Pride’, will be launched with the participation of industrial houses,” Mr. Palaniswami added.