Don’t shift AIIMS out of Sengipatti, say activists

It can be established in any part of the State: Union Minister

Aghast at the “surreptitious” move by certain quarters in the BJP and the AIADMK to shift the proposed AIIMS facility out of Sengipatti, people of central Tamil Nadu have cautioned those in power not to politicise the issue by taking advantage of the current fluid situation in the State.

“Sengipatti site was identified in a professional manner by the high powered committee appointed by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry and was duly supported by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami. BJP was trying to fish in troubled waters by seeking to relocate the AIIMS at Madurai, now a group of AIADMK MLAs and Ministers are playing with fire seeking to dramatise the whole issue. What if our region MLAs too threaten to quit if AIIMS is shifted from Sengipatti? The Centre must move quickly to establish the facility in Sengipatti,'' demands Durai Mathivanan, social activist and part of the civil society group that has been demanding the setting up of AIIMS here for several years now.

A high-powered committee of Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry had assessed the possibility of establishing the AIIMS facility in Tamil Nadu two years back. They had inspected five sites – Sengipatti in Thanjavur district, Pudukkottai, Madurai, Erode and Chengalpattu .

The proposed AIIMS facility basically looked for the best possible factors that go into clinical practice, academic excellence and community-oriented research and those aspects were taken into account for assessing the sites.

Based on those criteria, Sengipatti in Thanjavur district qualified as the apt site and accordingly it was stated that Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami too had impressed upon Mr. Modi during his February 27 meeting the need to establish AIIMS at Sengipatti.

It defies logic and reasoning that there are groups that are trying to surreptitiously shift the proposed AIIMS from the identified site of Sengipatti to Madurai at this late hour. Besides, there is a definite lack of speciality healthcare in the Central region despite presence of some medical colleges. Also, the existing medical colleges in Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Tiruvarur and Pudukkottai would immensely benefit from the AIIMS unit at Sengipatti. Elements in the BJP and the AIADMK are trying to arm twist in the AIIMS issue and that must be resisted by politicians from the Central region of the State, points out Samy Natarajan of the CPI(M).

Pon. Radhakrishnan’s stand

The AIIMS facility can be established in any part of the State. It is up to the State Government to decide on the site, claimed Union Minister of State for Shipping and Road Transport Pon, Radhakrishnan, here on Sunday.

During a brief interaction with the media, Mr. Radhakrishnan observed that the State Government had failed to concentrate in bringing AIIMS to the State expeditiously. Since people were speaking in many voices the issue was pending for too long, he claimed.