 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Tamil Nadu |
| Headquarters | Chennai |
| Employees | 121,221 (2019) [1] |
| Annual budget | ₹15,773 crore (US$1.9 billion) (2020–21) [2] |
| Minister responsible |
|
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | Government of Tamil Nadu |
| Website | tnhealth |
The Department of Health and Family Welfare is one of the departments of Government of Tamil Nadu and is responsible for ensuring access to basic public health services in the state.
The responsibility of the department is to make quality medical facilities available and accessible to the people, to focus on preventing diseases and to promote adoption of healthy life style. [3]
The state has robust health facilities and ranks higher in all health related parameters such as high life expectancy of 74 years (sixth) and 98.4% institutional delivery (second). [4] Of the three demographically related targets of the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations and expected to be achieved by 2015, Tamil Nadu achieved the goals related to improvement of maternal health and of reducing infant mortality and child mortality by 2009. [5] [6]
The public health infrastructure in the state includes both government-run hospitals and health centers managed by the department of health. As of 2023 [update] , the state had 404 public hospitals, 1,776 public dispensaries, 11,030 health centers and 481 mobile units run by the government with a capacity of more than 94,700 beds. [7] The General Hospital in Chennai was established in 16 November 1664 and was the first major hospital in India. [8] Tamil Nadu is a major center for medical tourism and Chennai is termed as "India's health capital". [9] Medical tourism forms an important part of the economy with more than 40% of total medical tourists visiting India making it to Tamil Nadu. [10]
There are over 870 medical, nursing and dental colleges in the state including 21 for traditional medicine and four for modern medicine of which 79 public medical colleges and research institutes are run by the department. [7] [11] Madras Medical College was established in 1835 and is one of the oldest medical colleges in India. [12] As per the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings in 2023, eight medical colleges from the state are ranked amongst the top 100 in the country. [13] [14]
The department is responsible for the administration of vaccination such as free polio vaccine for eligible age groups and Covid-19 vaccine. [15] The department is also responsible for the implementation of state health insurance scheme for eligible beneficiaries. [7] The department also manages and runs emergency care ambulances across the state. It is also engaged in prevention, education and treatment of specific diseases such as AIDS and Tuberculosis. [7] The department also manages special undertakings responsible for maternal and neonatal health, mental health and welfare of the blind. [7] Food safety and inspection, drug approval and control are also functions under the purview of the health department. [7]
The following sub-departments and undertakings operate under the department: [16]
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. B. Shetty |  | 13 April 1954 | 13 April 1957 |
| Jothi Venkatachalam | 1962 | 1963 | |
| S. J. Sadiq Pasha | 6 March 1967 | 10 February 1969 | |
| V. R. Nedunchezhiyan | 10 February 1969 | 4 January 1971 | |
| K. Anbazhagan |  | 15 March 1971 | 31 January 1976 |
| Dr. H.V.Hande | 1977 | 1987 | |
| K. Ponmudy | 27 January 1989 | 30 January 1991 | |
| S. Muthusamy | 24 June 1991 | 12 May 1996 | |
| Arcot N. Veeraswami | 13 May 1996 | 13 May 2001 | |
| S. Semmalai | 22 May 2001 | 2 June 2003 | |
| Thalavai Sundaram |  | 3 June 2003 | 12 May 2006 |
| M. R. K. Panneerselvam | 13 May 2006 | 15 May 2011 | |
| Dr. V.S.Vijay | 16 May 2011 | 27 February 2013 | |
| K. C. Veeramani |  | 28 February 2013 | 31 October 2013 |
| Dr. C.Vijaya Baskar | 1 November 2013 | 6 May 2021 | |
| M. Subramaniam |  | 7 May 2021 | Incumbent |
Anna University is a public state university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The main campus is in Guindy. It was originally established on 4 September 1978 and is named after C. N. Annadurai, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Madras Medical College (MMC) is a public medical college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1835, it is one of the oldest medical colleges in India, as well as in Asia.
Madras School of Social Work (MSSW) is an autonomous college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1952. It is affiliated to the University of Madras and offers various under-graduate and graduate courses in social sciences. The college is ranked 73rd among colleges in India by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2024.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, also known by its abbreviation MoHFW, is an Indian government ministry charged with health policy in India. It is also responsible for all government programs relating to family planning in India.
The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University is a government medical university situated in Guindy in the southern part of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is about 7 km (4.3 mi) from the Chennai International Airport and about 13 km (8.1 mi) from the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station. It is one of the premier medical universities in India, named after the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. G. Ramachandran (M.G.R.) and it is the second largest health sciences university in India after Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka.
Chennai is home to many educational and research institutions. IIT Madras, located in South Chennai is considered as the premier centre of engineering education in India. Anna University and the University of Madras are the oldest state owned universities which are ranked among the best universities in India. The College of Engineering, Guindy and Madras Institute of Technology, which are the constituent college of Anna University along with Alagappa College of Technology are the pioneer institutes of engineering education in India. Some of the oldest medical colleges India, the Madras Medical College (1835) and Stanley Medical College (1938) are located in the city. Notable, liberal arts colleges in the city include Loyola College, Madras Christian College, Presidency College, Stella Maris College, Women's Christian College and Ethiraj College for Women.
Vels Institute of Science, Technology & Advanced Studies (VISTAS) is an institute of higher education located in Pallavaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It was established in 1992 and granted Deemed University status in 2008 by University Grants Commission under section 3 of UGC Act 1956.
JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, formerly Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara University or JSS University, is an institute of higher education deemed to be university located in Mysore, Karnataka, India. It was established in 2008 and is part of JSS Mahavidyapeetha, which runs a variety of educational institutions. JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research is focused on medical and health-related studies, and comprises of JSS Medical College, JSS Dental College and Hospital and JSS College of Pharmacy at the main campus in Mysore as well as JSS College of Pharmacy in Ootacamund, in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.
Government Vellore Medical College (GVMC) or Government Vellore Medical College Hospital (GVMCH) is a Medical Council of India (MCI) recognised medical college located at Adukkamparai, Vellore city in Tamil Nadu. It is about 8 km from Vellore Town Bus Terminus. Established in 2005, it is a relatively new medical college in Tamil Nadu offering an MCI recognised Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), General Medicine MD, and General Surgery MS courses., MS Obstetrics and Gynaecology, MD Anaesthesiology, MD Pediatrics.
Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation Limited (TNMSC) (Tamil: தமிழ்நாடு மருத்துவப் பணிகள் கழகம் (வரையறுக்கப்பட்டது) (டி என் எம் எஸ் சி)) is a state-government undertaking of Government of Tamil Nadu located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The TNMSC was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 on 1 July 1994.
Healthcare in Chennai is provided by both government-run and private hospitals. Chennai attracts about 45 percent of health tourists from abroad arriving in the country and 30 to 40 percent of domestic health tourists. The city has been termed India's health capital. Multi- and super-specialty hospitals across the city bring in an estimated 150 international patients every day. Factors behind the tourists' inflow in the city include low costs, little to no waiting period, and facilities offered at the speciality hospitals in the city.
The Department of Higher Education is one of the departments of Government of Tamil Nadu. Established in 1997, the department is responsible for formulating policies and regulations for higher education in the state.
The Department of Labour Welfare and Skill Development is one of the departments of Government of Tamil Nadu.
King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research is a medicine research institute located in Guindy, Chennai, India. It was established on 7 November 1899 with the aim of protecting against scourging infections and was named after Lt. Col. W. G. King, the then Sanitary Commissioner of the Madras Presidency.
The Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research (MAHER), commonly referred to as Meenakshi University, is a private deemed-to-be-university for mainly medical science in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Vallalarpuram Sennimalai Natarajan is an Indian geriatric physician, considered by many as the Father of Geriatric Medicine in India and known to be the first Indian Professor in the discipline. He was honored by the Government of India, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
Voluntary Health Services, popularly known as the VHS Hospital, is a multispecialty tertiary care referral hospital in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, reportedly serving the economically weaker sections of the society. It was founded in 1958 by Krishnaswami Srinivas Sanjivi, an Indian physician, social worker and a winner of Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards and is run by a charitable non governmental organization of the same name. The hospital is situated along Rajiv Gandhi Salai at Taramani, in Chennai.
The Government Villupuram Medical College is an educational institution established in 2010 in Mundiyampakkam village in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It's one of the best medical institutions in India. The college accepts 100 MBBS students per year, of which 85 are state quota seats and 15 are from the All India quota. The college also accepts 140 allied health science/paramedical degree students and 130 allied health science/diploma students per year. It is a Medical Council of India (MCI) recognized medical college.
The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu was reported on 7 March 2020.
The Department of Social Welfare and Women Empowerment is one of the departments of Government of Tamil Nadu.
