Modi unveiled the plaque to mark the laying of the foundation stone of AIIMS, which will cost Rs 1,264 crore and is expected to go on stream in 2022.

The AIIMS in Madurai will be a 750-bedded hospital with a long-term focus on post graduate and higher education and research. It will have a capacity of 100 MBBS seats and 60 for B.Sc.(Nursing).

In addition, there will be an administration block, auditorium, night shelter, guest house, hostels and residential facilities.

Speaking at the function, Chief Minister K. Palaniswami said the late leader J. Jayalalithaa wrote to Modi requesting to set up an AIIMS in Tamil Nadu soon after the Centre had announced its plans to set up one in each state.

Thanking Modi for the AIIMS, Palaniswami also requested the Prime Minister to sanction a medical college in the Ramanathapuram district.

Modi also unveiled plaques to inaugurate the super speciality hospital blocks at the Rajaji, Thanjavur and Tirunelveli Medical Colleges.

The project cost to upgrade the three medical colleges is Rs 450 crore.

According to the Centre, these projects are a part of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana which aims to set up 20 AIIMS, of which six have been established, and to upgrade 73 medical colleges across the country.

Modi was received at the Madurai airport by Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan and other senior officials.

The Prime Minister will also address a public rally in the temple town.

Meanwhile, MDMK party members and couple of other organisations staged a black flag demonstration here in protest against Modi. They also flew black balloons.

“It’s a matter of joy, happiness that our President Amit Shahji has been discharged from AIIMS. He is completely healthy and have reached his residence. Thanks to all the well wishers and party cadres for their wishes,” Anil Baluni, the Bharatiya Janata Party media cell convenor said in a tweet.

Shah, 54, was admitted on Wednesday. He was under the observation of AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria.

An official release said that AIIMS will be set up under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).

It said that each new AIIMS will add 100 UG (MBBS) seats and 60 B.Sc (Nursing) seats, will have 15-20 super specialty departments and around 750 hospital beds. Each of the new AIIMS would cater to around 1,500 outdoor patients per day and around 1,000 indoor patients per month.

The setting up of new AIIMS involves the creation of hospital, teaching blocks for medical and nursing courses, residential complex and allied facilities/ services, broadly on the pattern of AIIMS, New Delhi and other six new AIIMS taken up under Phase-I of the PMSSY.

The release said that the objective is to establish the new AIIMS as Institutions of National Importance for providing quality tertiary healthcare, medical education, nursing education and research in the Region.

“The timeframe for establishing the new AIIMS-Tamil Nadu and AIIMS-Telangana will be 45 months, broadly comprising a pre-construction phase of 10 months, a construction phase of 32 months and stabilization/ commissioning phase of three months.

Cost of construction and running of the new AIIMS would be met by the Central government under the PMSSY.

The PMSSY aims at correcting the imbalances in the availability of affordable tertiary healthcare facilities in different parts of the country and augmenting facilities for quality medical education in the under-served states.

AIIMS in Tamil Nadu was announced in the Budget speech in 2015-16 and the Finance Ministry had conveyed its in-principle approval for the establishment of AIIMS in Telangana in April 2018.

2015-ம் ஆண்டு மத்திய பட்ஜெட்டில், தமிழ்நாட்டில் எய்ம்ஸ் மருத்துவமனை அமைக்கப்படும் என்ற அறிவிப்பு வெளியானது. அதனைத் தொடர்ந்து, மத்திய சுகாதாரத்துறை இணை செயலாளர் தலைமையில் தமிழகம் வந்த உயர்மட்டக் குழுவினர், குறிப்பிட்ட 5 இடங்களுக்கும் சென்று ஆய்வுப் பணிகளை மேற்கொண்டனர்.

ஆனால், அதன்பிறகு தொடர் நடவடிக்கைகள் எதையும் எடுக்காமல் மத்திய அரசு இருந்துவந்ததால், எய்ம்ஸ் மருத்துவமனை அமைப்பது தொடர்பாக கோர்ட்டில் பொது நல வழக்கும் தொடரப்பட்டது. இந்த நிலையில், கடந்த ஜூன் மாதம் 18-ந் தேதி டெல்லியில் மத்திய குழு கூடி மதுரை தோப்பூரில் எய்ம்ஸ் மருத்துவமனை அமைக்க ஒப்புதல் வழங்கியது.

அதனைத் தொடர்ந்து, தமிழக அரசு விரிவான திட்ட அறிக்கை தயாரித்து மத்திய அரசுக்கு அனுப்பிவைத்தது. இந்த நிலையில், கடந்த வாரம் மத்திய நிதி அமைச்சகத்தின் கீழ் உள்ள செலவின நிதி குழு, மதுரையில் எய்ம்ஸ் மருத்துவமனை அமைப்பதற்கு நிதி வழங்க ஒப்புதல் வழங்கியது. அதன் அடிப்படையில், அடுத்த சில நாட்களில் மத்திய அமைச்சரவை கூடி ரூ.1,200 கோடி நிதியளிக்க ஒப்புதல் அளிக்க இருக்கிறது.