Thoppur in Madurai should have been the obvious choice for establishing All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in many aspects and work should begin for establishing the premier health facility here without any further discussion. Making its stand clear, V.S. Manimaran, chief coordinator of ‘Maduraiyil AIIMS Maruthuvamanai Makkal Iyakkam’ told reporters here on Saturday that the information obtained through RTI on the correspondence by the Principal Secretary to Government (Health and Family Welfare Department) to Union Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was not only misleading but contained only half truth.
When the study group from New Delhi was “convinced” of land availability and infrastructure at Thoppur, the information provided by the Health Secretary in May to the Centre appeared to be written with some vested interest to please a few political functionaries, he alleged. In fact, the infant deaths, according to data released by Director, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, showed that Madurai badly required AIIMS. The infant deaths in 2014 alone was 1,724 in Madurai, while it was 862 in Thanjavur. Likewise, still births were 792 in Madurai and 386 in Thanjavur.
The Makkal Iyakkam has planned to stage a demonstration at Chepauk, Chennai, on June 15 to draw the attention of the Central and State governments to the issue, he said and added in the event of reluctance from the top brass, the forum would step up the agitation.
