With the revised estimate for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Madurai being ₹1,900 crore, the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has said tenders were invited to appoint consultants and to come up with a building plan, and this will be decided next week, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said on Friday..
Mr. Subramanian on Friday met Mr Mandaviya in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum containing 11 demands. One of the demands was to expedite construction and establishment of AIIMS at Madurai.
“The foundation stone for AIIMS, Madurai was laid in 2019. Except for the compound wall, no work was taken up for the last three years…The Union Health Minister said that the project estimate, which was ₹1,400 crore, has increased to ₹1,900 crore. Consultants should be appointed and a building plan should be prepared. He said tenders were invited and this will be decided next week. He has assured that work will commence soon,” he said.
On the NEET exemption Bill, Mr. Subramanian said the Union Health Minister was apprised of the replies sent by the Tamil Nadu Health department for the queries raised by the Union Home, Health, AYUSH and Higher Education ministries. The Union Minister had assured to look into the issue, he said.
He said that 15% of MBBS seats were filled through the All India Quota. Last year, more than 10 seats were left unfilled, while there were six vacant seats this year, Mr. Subramanian said, adding that they have raised the need for the Union government to surrender the vacant seats to the State government.
A request to release funds sanctioned under the 15th Finance Commission grants for health for 2022-2023 was also made. Mr. Subramanian said that ₹801 crore was pending for the current financial year for which the Union Minister ordered officials to release the funds.
The objection to the draft Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations recently circulated for public opinion was also registered through the memorandum. Establishment of new government medical colleges in six districts, new government nursing colleges in government medical college premises, establishment of AIIMS in Coimbatore and sanction of 50 primary health centres were among the demands.
They also requested supply of intranasal COVID-19 vaccine for government centres for which the Minister said that a decision will be made once the vaccines were readied. Health Secretary P. Senthilkumar was present during the meeting.
