Madurai: Madurai AIIMS Hospital construction work will start in December 2024 and will be completed in 2028, Health Minister M. Subramanian has said.
Inauguration ceremony of paid bed units at Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital was held today. Health Minister Minister M. Subramanian inaugurated the paid medical bed unit. Commercial Taxes and Registration Minister B. Murthy, DMK MLA Ko. Thalapathy, Collector Anees Shekhar, Dean Rathana Velu and Medical Department officials attended the event.
After the event, Mr. Subramanian spoke to the media and said: “The Tamil Nadu government announced in the last budget for the establishment of pay ward facilities in Madurai, Coimbatore and Salem government medical college hospitals. Based on that, “Bay Ward” facility was started in Salem 15 days ago.
In a row today Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital has started a “Pay Ward” facility at an estimated cost of Rs 1 Crore 2 Lakhs. Various facilities have been made in this medical treatment unit like air-conditioned room, separate toilet, TV, water boiler facility, assistant facility.
The fee is fixed at Rs.1200 for a private room and Rs.2000 for a luxury room. Rajiv Gandhi Hospital Chennai was the only government hospital to have such a “Bay Ward” facility with separate rooms. Salem and Madurai have been started on the basis that these facilities in Chennai should be brought to other cities as well.
Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital has made a record of being the first in South India to perform third gender surgeries. The medical department for this was started in July 2021. Earlier they used to go to Mumbai or Thailand for these surgeries. Now that situation is changing. 232 people have been treated for this in Madurai Government Hospital. This includes 106 transgenders and 125 converts. Medical certificates have been issued to 180 people to avail various welfare schemes of the government.
A decision has been taken to bring fertility centers in government hospitals in Tamil Nadu and efforts are underway. Work is underway to bring artificial insemination centers at Madurai and Egmore, Chennai. The procurement of equipment for setting up a Fertility Center at the cost of Rs.2 1/2 crore is going on at Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital. A large number of sub-health centers operate in rented buildings. Therefore, work is going on to construct own buildings and replace sub-health centers there.
In that way, 5 buildings have been opened in Madurai. Medical infrastructure is being improved so that poor people can get quality treatment. Regarding AIIMS Hospital, the Department Secretary and I went to Japan and spoke to the Vice President of JICA.
When the foundation stone of Madurai AIIMS was laid, the foundation stones of 7 and 8 AIIMS hospitals were also laid in other states of India. They announced that the foundation stones of the other hospitals will be funded by the central government. But they announced that only Madurai will be built with JICA funding.
In order to get JICA funding, there should be continuous research, communication with them, and efforts. That is how the Tamil Nadu government is building various hospitals in Tamil Nadu with the help of JICA. JICA is providing proper funding for all that.
In the case of Madurai “AIIMS”, funds have not been allocated due to the fact that the central government has not undertaken continuous studies and efforts like the Tamil Nadu government. Whenever we go to Japan, we ask the central government minister 8-9 times to start the construction of AIIMS Madurai.
A “consultancy” tender is due in April. After this is completed, the tender for the construction work will be floated. The tender will close in December. It seems certain that the construction work will start only in December 2024. Although the building will take at least 4 years to complete, AIIMS construction will be completed by December 2028.
“Whenever Chief Minister Stalin meets the Prime Minister and the Union Health Minister, he always emphasizes the views of Madurai ‘AIIMS’,” said Subramanian.