CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the first phase of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Thoppur in Madurai on February 28, a long-delayed flagship healthcare project that has remained a major political talking point in Tamil Nadu since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
According to AIIMS Madurai Executive Director and CEO M Hanumantha Rao, the Prime Minister has given his consent to inaugurate the initial phase of the institute during his proposed visit to Madurai. The project, delayed for years due to land acquisition hurdles and financing issues, is now set to become partially operational by March.
In the first phase, students will be shifted from the temporary AIIMS campus at Ramanathapuram to the permanent Madurai campus, with academic activities expected to begin from the 2026–27 academic year. Portions of the hospital infrastructure are also expected to be opened for public services from March, officials said.
The inauguration assumes political significance as the AIIMS project has frequently figured in electoral discourse in the State. Chief Minister MK Stalin had recently criticised the Centre over the prolonged delay in completing the Madurai AIIMS, reiterating the DMK’s charge that the project was announced without timely execution.
Party sources said the Prime Minister’s Madurai visit will also feature the inauguration of completed development projects and participation in a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) public meeting along with alliance partners. Ahead of this, Modi is scheduled to visit Puducherry on February 16 to take part in an NDA meeting with partners there.
“Inaugurating AIIMS ahead of the Assembly elections will give the NDA clear electoral mileage in Tamil Nadu,” a senior BJP leader said, adding that the alliance for Puducherry Assembly elections would be finalised before the Prime Minister’s Puducherry visit.
The Prime Minister’s detailed itinerary for Madurai and Puducherry is yet to be finalised.