Tamil Nadu Raises Health Insurance Cover to ₹25 Lakh, Unveils Cancer Mission
The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday (August 19, 2026) announced a significant expansion of the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme, increasing the coverage from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay made the announcement in a suo motu statement in the Assembly, alongside a series of other health-sector initiatives.
The enhanced coverage is expected to benefit millions of families across the state, reducing out-of-pocket expenditure for critical treatments. Mr. Vijay also announced the construction of a 400-bed multi-super-speciality hospital in Perambur, his constituency, at an estimated cost of ₹300 crore. Additionally, ₹673.44 crore has been allocated for the Cancer Mission, reflecting the government’s focus on addressing the rising burden of cancer.
“The value of life should not be determined by a person’s income. The TVK government is firm that there should be no discrimination in providing treatment based on a person’s economic status. Medical care is a basic right of every human being, and not a concession,” Mr. Vijay said in his address.
In a progressive move, the Chief Minister announced that gender-affirming surgeries and related medical services for transgender women will be offered at Stanley Medical College and hospitals attached to medical colleges in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Chengalpattu, Tiruvarur, Dharmapuri, and Kanniyakumari under the state health insurance scheme. This is aimed at making such procedures accessible and affordable for the transgender community.
On cancer care, Mr. Vijay noted that Tamil Nadu is witnessing an increasing number of cancer cases. To strengthen treatment infrastructure, a cancer treatment section will be established at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai at a cost of ₹471.98 crore. The building will have a ground floor and 14 upper floors.
Regional Cancer Centres will also be set up at medical colleges in Thanjavur, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirunelveli, and Villupuram districts. In the first phase, a Regional Cancer Centre will be developed at Madurai Rajaji Medical College at a cost of ₹84 crore, housed in a ground-plus-eight-floor building.
An amount of ₹106.17 crore has been sanctioned to government medical college hospitals for robotic surgery, Linear Accelerators (LINACs), modern equipment, targeted therapy, and other advanced treatments. This is expected to improve the quality of cancer diagnosis and care in public hospitals.
In the area of prevention, the government will spend ₹2.77 crore on training doctors and providing nutritional supplements to patients. Additionally, HPV DNA screening tests will be conducted for 1.22 lakh women in Dharmapuri, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Perambalur, and Ariyalur at a cost of ₹8.70 crore. This is a crucial step towards early detection of cervical cancer.
Addressing the shortage of healthcare professionals, the Chief Minister said that no nursing colleges have been started in Tamil Nadu since 2014. To fill this gap, the government will create additional seats for nursing, pharmacy, and paramedical courses at a cost of ₹351 crore. This includes launching seven new nursing colleges and adding 660 B.Sc. Nursing seats. Furthermore, 1,925 seats will be created in existing nursing colleges, along with 2,778 additional seats for physiotherapy and 735 seats for pharmacy courses.
These announcements are part of the government’s broader effort to make quality healthcare accessible to all, irrespective of economic status. The increased insurance cover and investments in infrastructure are expected to significantly enhance the state’s public health system.
