11 new nursing colleges approved for Tamil Nadu with Rs 10 crore outlay each: Health minister

CHENNAI: The Central government has sanctioned 11 new nursing colleges for Tamil Nadu and they would be established at an outlay of Rs 10 crore each, State Health Minister Ma Subramanian said on Friday. These colleges, offering 100 undergraduate seats, would be built next to the state-run medical colleges, he said.

Despite the state already having six nursing colleges, there have always been pleas to start additional colleges. "During my meeting with Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya two months ago, I requested for according sanction for 30 new nursing colleges in the state, owing to the huge demand for them. Eleven new nursing colleges were sanctioned for Tamil Nadu on Thursday evening," Subramanian told reporters here.

He said several legislators had demanded that a nursing college be set up in their respective Assembly constituencies or in their districts.

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The sites for the colleges would be decided in consultation with Chief Minister MK Stalin, Subramanian said. During a review meeting with senior health officials earlier in the day, he directed them to ensure sufficient stock of Anti-Snake Venom (ASV) injections, Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV) and "loading dose" -- first aid tablets to reduce viscosity of blood, decrease severity of heart attack and save lives, at all the Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Health Sub Centres (HSCs) spread across Tamil Nadu. "So, people in need of these drugs need not rush to the metros even for the initial treatment," he said.