New schemes to give push to transport, health infra announced

: A slew of new schemes, giving a push to transport and health infrastructure in Tamil Nadu, were announced by Chief Minister K Palaniswamy Wednesday in the state assembly.

These include operationalising 2,000 new buses at a cost of Rs 600 crore and initiatives totally worth Rs 500 crore in the health sector.

The Chief Minister also said a Rs 120 crore worth Centre of Excellence will come up at at the Arignar Anna Memorial Cancer Hospital at nearby Kanchipuram, aimed at improving health services to people.

Palaniswami, making a statement in the Assembly, said the new buses would be launched this fiscal and that 10 government transport corporation depots would be modernised at a cost of Rs 50 crore.

 

The Chief Minister also announced initatives totally worth nearly Rs 500 crore in the health sector.

To provide 12 integrated health services to people, including disease prevention and pain alleviation, additional Primary Health Centres and urban PHCS would get a Rs 105 crore facelift and be named Wellness Centres, Palanisa

New buildings for 296 sub-health centres at a cost of Rs 79.93 crore under the wellness for all scheme and upgradation of Erode District Government Headquarters Hospital into a Super Specialty Hospital at an estimate of Rs 67.76 crore, were among the Chief Minister's other announcements.

Under the Tamil Nadu Accident and Emergency Care Initiative, a "multi-disciplinary critical care unit" will be set up in one hospital in 32 districts at a cost of Rs 49.01 crore, he said.

Other health sector schemes announced were a Rs 40 crore rehabilitation centre at a city government health facility, a Rs 16 crore linear accelerator for Salem Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital and automatic drug vending machines (Rs 80 lakh).

In 22 medical college hospitals, counselling to prevent suicidal tendencies would be provided through '104' toll free number by setting up a Counselling Centre at a cost of Rs 6.72 crore, the Chief Minister said.

A new "My Hospital My Pride" initiative would be taken up in a tie up with corporates under their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) pgorto give a facelift to state-run hospitals, he said.