CM C. Joseph Vijay addresses the Assembly on Wednesday
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Wednesday (August 19, 2026) made a slew of announcements in the health sector, including an increase in the coverage under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh. Construction of a 400-bed multi-super-speciality hospital at a cost of ₹300 crore in Perambur, the constituency he represents, and allocation of ₹673.44 crore for the Cancer Mission also formed part of his announcements.
“The value of life should not be determined by a person’s income. The TVK government is firm that there should be no discrimination in providing treatment based on a person’s economic status. Medical care is a basic right of every human being, and not a concession,” he said.
Gender-affirming surgeries
Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, Mr. Vijay said medical services and surgeries for transgender women would also be offered at Stanley Medical College and hospitals attached to medical colleges in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Chengalpattu, Tiruvarur, Dharmapuri, and Kanniyakumari under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.
Cancer care
Mr. Vijay said as Tamil Nadu was witnessing an increase in cancer cases, the Chief Minister’s Cancer Care Mission would be upgraded at a cost of ₹673.44 crore. A cancer treatment section would be created at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital at a cost of ₹471.98 crore. The building for the cancer treatment section would have a ground floor and 14 upper floors.
Besides, Regional Cancer Centres would be created at medical colleges in Thanjavur, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirunelveli, and Villupuram districts. In the first phase, a Regional Cancer Centre would come up at Madurai Rajaji Medical College at a cost of ₹84 crore. The centre would be housed in a ground-plus-eight-floor building.
The Chief Minister said ₹106.17 crore would be sanctioned to government medical college hospitals for robotic surgery, Linear Accelerators (LINACs), modern equipment, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.
HPV screening
Mr. Vijay said the government would spend ₹2.77 crore on providing training to doctors and nutritional supplements to patients. Moreover, HPV DNA screening tests would be conducted for 1.22 lakh women in Dharmapuri, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Perambalur, and Ariyalur at a cost of ₹8.70 crore.
The Chief Minister said as no nursing colleges had been started in Tamil Nadu after 2014, the government would create additional seats for nursing, pharmacy, and paramedical courses at a cost of ₹351 crore.
The government would launch seven nursing colleges and create 660 B.Sc. Nursing seats. Besides, 1,925 seats would be created in existing nursing colleges, along with 2,778 additional seats for physiotherapy and 735 seats for pharmacy courses.
Published – August 19, 2026 12:54 pm IST
