CHENNAI: Minister for Health and Family Welfare KG Arunraj on Sunday (August 9) said the government would take measures to increase deliveries in government hospitals, as their share had declined sharply from 65.8 per cent in 2017-19 to 51 per cent in 2025-26.
Talking to reporters after inaugurating the OGSSI Midyear Conference 2026 here, Arunraj said nearly 99 per cent of deliveries in Tamil Nadu were taking place in hospitals, with home deliveries being rare.
“Maternal mortality in Tamil Nadu is lower than in other states. Still, we are taking steps to reduce it further through various schemes, including the Thai Maman Thanga Mothiram (TMTM) Scheme,” he said.
“Deliveries in government hospitals have been declining every year. It was 65.8 per cent in 2017-19 and has now fallen to 51 per cent in 2025-26. Poor families struggle to afford deliveries at private hospitals due to the high cost. We have introduced the TMTM scheme to increase deliveries in government hospitals,” the Minister said.
Arunraj said the government would study the reasons behind the decline and promote government hospitals to encourage more women to choose them for childbirth.
He also flagged Tamil Nadu’s declining fertility rate. “The total fertility rate in Tamil Nadu is 1.3, whereas we need to maintain it at 2.1. Our society is ageing. In the future, we need to encourage people to have more children. Human resources are our best resources, and improving them is a major challenge,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said that the state's medical counselling schedule and merit list will be published on August 10.
Arunraj warned of strict action against private medical colleges that illegally collect fees beyond the stipulated period, saying a newly constituted committee was investigating complaints in this regard.
Responding to reports of pregnant women facing long queues at outpatient registration counters, the minister clarified that an Aadhaar card is not mandatory and no government hospital can deny treatment for its absence.
He cited a scheme that lets patients generate an outpatient receipt from home via smartphone.
On the renaming of 'Amma Kudineer' as the 'Payani' water bottle scheme, Arunraj said policy continuity was essential, and welfare schemes would continue irrespective of their names, with the government committed to ensuring that benefits reached people without leakages.
Responding to questions on MPs meeting, he said neither the government nor Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay would succumb to pressure. He accused the DMK of compromising on its positions on State rights and social justice and falling into the BJP’s grip to protect the interests of certain family members.
Arunraj further questioned the DMK’s decision to boycott the all-party MPs’ meeting on delimitation. “How can they boycott an important meeting on delimitation merely because an all-party meeting was not convened on the Cauvery issue? They should have attended it,” he said.