TN wants admission to AIIMS-Madurai only after construction begins

Only compound wall of Madurai AIIMS has been built so far; procedures for fund and tender allocation for other constructions are yet to be completed, says minister
Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian (Photo| Facebook)
Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian (Photo| Facebook)

CHENNAI: Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Wednesday said that he would request the Centre to commence admission to the yet-to-be established AIIMS in Madurai only after construction of its buildings begins. The minister, along with Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan and other officials, will be meeting Union Health Minister Mansukh L Mandaviya on Thursday.

Several other demands, including allocation of vaccines to the State in proportion to its population, would be raised during the meeting, Subramanian said. The Union Health Ministry will also be requested to take a decision quickly to operationalise the Integrated Vaccine Complex (IVC) in Chengalpattu and supply raw material to Pasteur’s Institute of India in Coonoor for the production of Covid-19 vaccines. Subramanian was addressing media persons on the campus of the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) after receiving 1,000 oxygen concentrators from an NGO, Boomi.

On the Centre’s earlier proposal to start medical admission to the AIIMS, Subramanian said that only the compound wall of the AIIMS has been built so far; procedures for fund and tender allocation for other constructions are yet to be completed. As such, commencing admission to the AIIMS now may not be a good proposition. The State delegation will also request the Centre to carry out inspections at the 11 new medical colleges in the State soon so that students can be admitted this year itself.

On Zika control
The health minister said that all preventive measures are being taken in Tamil Nadu, including spreading awareness among the public on preventing water-stagnation on house premises and mosquito breeding.
On the third Covid wave, the minister said that the public should observe Covid-appropriate behaviour - wearing facemasks and maintaining social-distancing -- to prevent the third wave.

This is applicable to political parties as well. Holding political meetings is prohibited now; so, they should act responsibly. Subramanian said that the State is not hiding Covid deaths or cases and that it is honest in disclosing the figures. He added that 3,950 Black-fungus cases have been reported in the State so far.

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