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.
Objective 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.
Overview 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). 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.
Infrastructure The public health infrastructure in the state includes both government-run hospitals and health centers managed by the department of health. , 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. The General Hospital in Chennai was established on 16 November 1664 and was the first major hospital in India. Tamil Nadu is a major center for medical tourism and Chennai is termed as "India's health capital". Medical tourism forms an important part of the economy with more than 40% of total medical tourists visiting India making it to Tamil Nadu.
Medical education 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. Madras Medical College was established in 1835 and is one of the oldest medical colleges in India. 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.
Other services The department is responsible for the administration of vaccination such as free polio vaccine for eligible age groups and COVID-19 vaccine. The department is also responsible for the implementation of state health insurance scheme for eligible beneficiaries. 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. The department also manages special undertakings responsible for maternal and neonatal health, mental health and welfare of the blind. Food safety and inspection, drug approval and control are also functions under the purview of the health department.
Sub-departments The following sub-departments and undertakings operate under the department: Sub-departments Department of Food Safety & Drug Administration (DFSDA) Directorate of Drugs Control (DDC) Directorate of Family Welfare (DFW) Directorate of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy (DIMH) Directorate of Medical Education (DME) Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMRHS) Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPHPM) National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) Tamil Nadu State Health Transport Department (TSHTD)
Undertakings and bodies Medicinal Plant Farms and Herbal Medicine Corporation (TAMPCOL) Tamil Nadu Health System Project (TNHSP) Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation Limited (TNMSC) Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TSAIDS) Tamil Nadu State Blindness Control Society (TSBCS) Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN)
Ministers + Ministers Health and Family Welfare (Tamil Nadu) Name PortraitTerm 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 M. G. Ramachandran(Chief Minister) 30 June 1977 6 May 1978 R. Soundararajan 7 May 1978 17 February 1980 Dr. H.V.Hande 9 June 1980 21 October 1986 P. U. Shanmugam 22 October 1986 30 January 1988 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 9 May 2026 Dr. K.G. Arunraj 10 May 2026 Incumbent
See also Government of Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu Government's Departments Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (India)
References
External links Official Website of the Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Department RTI site of the Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Department Official website of Government of Tamil Nadu