Tamil Nadu government plans 6 new nursing colleges, to offer 600 seats

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has ordered the establishment of six new government nursing colleges with 600 nursing seats and approved 1,925 additional seats in existing institutions, as part of efforts to expand nursing education.

The Health and Family Welfare Department issued the GO on September 16, implementing Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's August 19 announcement under Rule 110 of the Assembly.

The six new colleges will be established at Government Medical Colleges in Namakkal, Tiruchy, Dharmapuri, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai and Tirunelveli, with an annual intake of 100 students (BSc Nursing) each.

The GO permits the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University to establish the colleges at a total cost of Rs 270.26 crore, or Rs 45.04 crore per college.

The expenditure will be met entirely from the university's self-generated funds, with no financial liability accruing to the state government.

The GO stipulates that manpower for the new colleges will be engaged only on a temporary or contract basis and that no permanent posts or additional pensionary liabilities will be created.

The 1,925 additional seats comprise 1,290 Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery (DGNM), 440 BSc Nursing, 75 MSc Nursing and 120 Post-Basic BSc Nursing seats.

According to the GO, a seventh nursing college with 60 BSc Nursing seats will also be established at Coimbatore Government Medical College and ESI Hospital.

It said the 600 seats in the six colleges would be offered during 2026-27 using existing facilities, subject to statutory approvals and affiliations.