Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone for All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai. He also inaugurated through video conference the super speciality blocks of Madurai's Rajaji Medical College and Thanjavur and Tirunelveli Medical Colleges. Also, Modi dedicated a dozen Post Office Pass Port Seva Kendras to the nation. In his address, the PM said that AIIMS in New Delhi is known for its excellent medical care, and now this brand of healthcare has now reached all four corners of the country.
"With AIIMS in Madurai, we can say that this brand of healthcare has been taken to all corners of the country from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to Madurai and from Guwahati to Gujarat," he said.
Modi said that the NDA is prioritising the health sector so that healthcare becomes affordable to everybody. Heaping laurels on the Tamil Nadu government, he said, "I am happy to learn that the state government is upscaling its TB-free Chennai initiative and seeking to eliminate TB in the state by 2023 itself.
I compliment the state for its commitment towards the implementation of all aspects of the Revised National TB control programme." Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister K Palaniswami thanked Modi for providing the AIIMS facility to Tamil Nadu and urged the PM to set up a medical college at the backward Ramanathapuram district.
Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said AIIMS in Madurai would greatly benefit the people of southern backward districts of Tamil Nadu. He said that all necessary infrastructure will be developed in the region.
