Healthcare projects worth ₹806.9 cr. in the pipeline for Madurai, says Health Minister

Minister for Health and Family Welfare K.G. Arunraj enquiring with patients about the facilities at Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai on Friday. | Photo Credit: R. ASHOK Madurai district is set to receive healthcare projects worth ₹806.9 crore in the near future, Minister for Health and Family Welfare K.G. Arunraj said here on Friday.The Minister was inspecting the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) alongside medical professionals on Friday. “Following requests from GRH doctors in the budget, we announced the construction of a Regional Cancer Centre in Madurai at a cost of ₹84 crore,” he said.Of ₹673.44 crore allocated for five Regional Cancer Centres across the State, Madurai’s facility will be built on the premises of the old Ramanathapuram Collectorate, he said.Additionally, ₹44 crore had been sanctioned for a critical care block near the Anna Bus Stand, and one of the seven newly announced nursing colleges would be established in Madurai. “In response to doctors’ requests, an allocation of ₹7.5 crore has been made to procure new medical equipment for GRH,” Mr. Arunraj added.Regarding shortage of nurses, Mr. Arunraj said the government had previously announced the recruitment of 4,500 nurses Statewide through district health societies. However, the process was temporarily stalled because of court cases. “Through persistent efforts, we were able to get the stay order vacated,” he said.Blueprint soonNoting that many government hospitals built in the past lacked long-term planning — making future expansion and infrastructure upgrades difficult — he said a comprehensive, long-term development blueprint was being prepared for all government hospitals (GHs) in Tamil Nadu. He said the integrated outpatient block requested by the GRH administration would be considered and forwarded to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay for approval.Utilising land belonging to the Madurai prison for expansion would be explored and evaluated, he said.Highlighting employment updates, Mr. Arunraj recalled that announcements had been made in the Assembly to regularise 2,500 nursing positions, with plans to gradually extend permanent status to other nurses as well. “We have announced the creation of 3,500 positions across 24 job categories, which will include nursing assistants, physician assistants, pharmacists, and ophthalmic assistants, among others,” he said.“Since all of this cannot be accomplished overnight, it will take time to bring about these structural changes,” he said. Published - September 11, 2026 06:39 pm IST