The Tamil Nadu Government plans to set up a hospital and medical college in the new legislature and Secretariat building located in the heart of Chennai.
In a suo motu statement in the Assembly today, the Chief Minister, Ms J. Jayalalithaa, announced that a multi super-specialty hospital and a Government medical college would come up in the Omandurar Government Estate on Anna Salai, where the previous DMK government planned to establish the new Secretariat.
The hospital, to provide specialty treatment free to the needy, would be set up in the 97,829 sq.m building, where earlier the legislature and other departments were scheduled to come.
This building does not have adequate space for all the 36 departments of the Government.
Also, the Secretariat cannot operate from two facilities, she said.
The hospital would match the facilities available at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, modern equipment would be procured, and medical experts and other personnel would be appointed for the facility to start operations soon.
The medical college would come up in the adjacent Block B buildings that are under construction.
The free, specialty medical treatment to be provided at the hospital would be a component of the comprehensive, public healthcare facilities being provided in the State.
The State Government is implementing the Tamil Nadu Health System Project and the National Rural Health Mission, and is in the process of implementing a comprehensive medical insurance scheme.
The State Government has also announced a number of initiatives, including upgrading the primary healthcare centres as 30-bed hospitals, earmarking Rs 55 crore to buy modern equipment for district hospitals under the TN Health System Project, a Rs 100-crore super specialty centre at the Tiruchi Mahatma Gandhi Government Hospital and construction of a dedicated office building for the directorate of food and drug controller.