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Tamil Nadu government ignored Madurai for AIIMS, allege activists
The state government had suppressed facts on the establishment of AIIMS super-specialty hospital in Tamil Nadu and, for reasons unknown, Madurai was not preferred by it as the venue, charged V S Manimaran, coordinator, AIIMS for Madurai - People’s Movement, here on Wednesday
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There is tough competition between the southern and central districts for the AIIMS unit in the state. Thoppur, on the outskirts of Madurai, was on the list of probable sites along with Pudukkottai, the hometown of Health Minister C Vijayabaskar, and Sengipatti village near Thanjavur. The latter two were the choices from the central districts.
After the Centre sought a detailed report on the venues for setting up the AIIMS, the TN government listed five places highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of the locations.
However, the report had caused concern among activists working for setting up the AIIMS in Madurai. They claimed the state government had suppressed facts on health indicators and health infrastructure available in Madurai.
Addressing the media here, Manimaran said southern districts were continuously being neglected by successive state governments in case of industrial development and other projects. Even the recently proposed defence corridor has gone to Coimbatore, Salem and the Tiruchy belt.
Southern districts were being used only as vote bank by politicians, but no development schemes were being brought to region, he claimed. In the case of the AIIMS too, the state government has meted out a step-motherly treatment to Madurai and the southern districts, since in the report it submitted to the central government too it suppressed facts that were advantageous for Madurai to be chosen for the premier healthcare facility.
In the report, the government had said that the nearest railway station for Thoppur is Madurai located at 13 km, whereas for Sengipatti, the nearest station was Bu
dalur at 10 km. Manimaran said the government had given wrong facts by not mentioning the Tirumangalam station, which was just 6 km from Thoppur and 8 km from Kappalur. “All major trains stop at Tirumangalam, but the government had purposely avoided it. Similarly, Budalur is a small station and no important trains stop there,” said Manimaran.
Other advantages of Madurai were purposely suppressed by the government to favour Sengipatti and Pudukkottai. Madurai had been given only fourth place on the list. Despite health indicators being worse in other parts of the state, the government had not favoured Madurai for the AIIMS, he claimed. He further said that if AIIMS was set up in Thoppur, people of southern districts would benefit.
THOPPUR BETTER CHOICE
30% of population in south, including Madurai, are BPL
Mortality rate
- Infant mortality in 2014 - 1,724
- Stillbirths - 792
- Maternal deaths - 63
Thanjavur
- Infant mortality in 2014 - 862
- Stillbirths - 386
- Maternal deaths - 39
Requirement for AIIMS: Health indicators in Madurai poor compared to Thanjavur
Madurai ideal venue
- 1.95 crore people in south and central TN will benefit from AIIMS in Madurai.
- Sengipatti can serve only 1.14 crore.
Connectivity
- Madurai has better connectivity than other locations.
- All roads to Madurai are 4-lane NHs.
- Thoppur is nearer to Thirupparankundram, a major railway station.
- Budalur is the nearest railway station to Sengipatti located 10 km away.
Air link
- Thoppur is just 12 km from Madurai airport.
- Sengipatti is 38 km from Tiruchy airport.
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