Laying the foundation for a ₹327-crore government medical college and hospital here on Saturday, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami rejected the claims of political opponents and asserted that the State government was fulfilling the promises it had made to the people.
Appealing to the public to ignore the statements of Opposition parties, he said they were unable to stomach the popularity of “Amma’s (Jayalalithaa’s) government”.
Stating that the new medical college will come up on a vast 20-acre area, Mr. Palaniswami thanked the Union government for granting approvals and sanctioning funds for medical colleges in 11 locations, including Dindigul.
The one in Dindigul will become functional from the next academic year (2021-22), and 150 students will be admitted to the institution, he said.
Listing the schemes implemented by the government since 2016, Mr. Palaniswami said the Chief Minister’s Special Grievances Cell had granted old-age pension (OAP) to over five lakh genuine applicants from across Tamil Nadu in the last 100 days, out of the nine lakh applications it had received.
Similarly, the Kudimaramathu scheme had fetched the desired results — not only were farmers happy about the availability of water for irrigation, but also the public had appreciated the project as it had enabled water conservation in their localities, the CM said.
The Department of Public Health in T.N. was leading the pack at the national level. Many government hospitals were performing complex surgeries free of cost, he said.
Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam said the objective of establishing a medical college in each district was to provide quality treatment to the poor and the needy. The government hospitals were fully equipped and on a par with many private hospitals in Tamil Nadu. The very fact that the State attracted people from all over the globe for medical treatment showed that there were experts here, he said.
‘No need to panic’
Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar said there was no need to panic about COVID-19. The State was proactive and its preparedness had paved the way for speedy diagnosis. “We had one case that tested positive in the State. The patient has recovered,” he noted.
Welfare measures were distributed to beneficiaries on the occasion. Senior officials from various departments took part.
CPI(M) MP from Madurai S. Venkatesan condemned the T.N. government for conducting a function in Dindigul at a time when people had been told not to assemble in large numbers due to the COVID-19 threat.
Earlier, speaking to reporters on arrival at Madurai airport, Mr. Palaniswami said the AIIMS that was to come up in Madurai will benefit not only Madurai but also all the southern districts and a few districts in the delta region.
