Tamil Nadu to take advanced healthcare facilities beyond Chennai: Minister

Tamil Nadu will progress from treating illnesses to promoting “positive health” and take advanced healthcare facilities from Chennai to Tier II and Tier III cities, Health Minister K.G. Arunraj said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the launch of Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Teynampet, he said the government had so far focused on building hospitals and recruiting doctors and nurses. Now, the Chief Minister has insisted on a positive health policy that would give people access to information promoting health and well-being, regardless of income, he said.

He also said private hospitals such as Apollo were forthcoming in collaborating with the government in cancer screening initiatives, particularly breast cancer screening, across the State. Apollo Hospitals was among the first groups to contribute ₹1 crore when the Nalam TN scheme was launched, he said.

Apollo Hospitals on Wednesday announced the expansion of its flagship oncology facility at Teynampet into a comprehensive multi-speciality hospital. The facility, previously known as Apollo Cancer Centre, has been renamed Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Teynampet, according to a press release.

Preetha Reddy, Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd., said the expansion is to extend the expertise built over three decades of cancer care to complete healthcare for families.

Suneeta Reddy, Managing Director, said the consolidated model would enable multi-disciplinary teams to collaborate more closely in treating chronic and severe ailments that often require multi-organ management.

Harshad Reddy, Director (Operations, Group Oncology and International), said the expansion reflected the hospital’s broader clinical role, with cardiac sciences, neurosciences, gastrointestinal and pulmonary medicine, spine and orthopaedics, urology, critical care and internal medicine now being brought together alongside oncology.