The old government hospital premises located at Chengam Road-Thandarampattu Road Junction in Tiruvannamalai is set to see the light of the day finally.
Health Minister C.Vijaya Baskar, who visited the complex that once accommodated a 500-bed hospital on Thursday, announced that an Urban Primary Health Centre (Urban PHC) would be set up on the premises, particularly for the benefit of devotees who perform Girivalam.
Ever since the Government Tiruvannamalai Medical College was shifted to the new complex on outer ring road, the old hospital premises had been neglected.
The people of Tiruvannamalai town and villages on the western and southern side of the town faced hardship, especially at night, in reaching the medical college. Parties like the DMK and the CPI (M) and youth organizations staged protests demanding the government to start a government hospital on the old premises.
The Minister’s announcement comes as a relief to the people of Tiruvannamalai and adjacent villages. Dr. Vijaya Baskar said the proposed Urban PHC would consist of an outpatient ward, casualty ward, siddha medical unit and a specialised ward for the aged. On Girivalam days, the proposed PHC would function as a full-fledged hospital round-the-clock, he said. He inspected the additional building being built in Government Tiruvannamalai Medical College Hospital at a cost of ₹26 crore to accommodate another 200 beds. R. Jayanthi, Dean, Government Tiruvannamalai Medical College, accompanied the Minister during his visit.
