Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday announced a five-fold increase in the annual medical coverage under the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme, raising the limit from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.

Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced the measure under Rule 110 while outlining a series of initiatives aimed at expanding access to healthcare and strengthening the state's medical infrastructure. He said medical care is a fundamental right and not a privilege, and stressed that the government intends to remove barriers to quality treatment irrespective of a person's income or location.

Under the revised health insurance provision, the annual coverage available for medical treatment under the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme will increase to Rs 25 lakh from the existing Rs 5 lakh.

The scheme will also cover additional medical and surgical procedures for transgender persons at government hospitals in Chennai, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Chengalpattu, Thiruvarur, Karur and Kanyakumari.

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Alongside the insurance expansion, the government announced Rs 351 crore to increase student intake in government medical and healthcare institutions. The move will create 6,098 additional seats, including 660 B.Sc Nursing seats, 1,925 seats in nursing colleges and schools, 2,778 seats across 12 paramedical courses and 735 additional medical seats.

The government will also establish seven new government nursing colleges to expand the state's healthcare workforce.

In another major healthcare infrastructure initiative, a 400-bed multi-speciality hospital will be established in Perambalur at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore. The proposed facility is aimed at providing advanced medical treatment and healthcare services to people in the region.

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The government also announced measures for the dairy sector, including an increase in the milk procurement price from Rs 38 to Rs 41 per litre. The procurement price hike is expected to benefit more than 3.16 lakh milk producers.

The government incentive for milk producers will also be raised from Rs 3 to Rs 5 per litre. The increase in procurement prices is expected to add Rs 30 crore a month, or Rs 360 crore annually, to the government's expenditure.

The announcements collectively seek to widen access to affordable healthcare, strengthen medical education and infrastructure, and support the livelihoods of milk producers across Tamil Nadu. (ANI)