Madurai's premier Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) has experienced a dramatic surge in daily patient visits, with numbers nearly doubling since the DMK government assumed office in 2021. Health and Family Welfare Minister Ma Subramanian revealed this significant increase while inaugurating new diagnostic facilities at the hospital.
Surge in Outpatient Numbers and New Diagnostic Boost
Minister Subramanian stated that the daily outpatient footfall at GRH has jumped from an average of 3,000 to 4,000 patients to a current range of 6,500 to 7,000 patients every day. He attributed this rise in public reliance to the government's sustained focus on improving public healthcare infrastructure.
On Saturday, the minister inaugurated a full-body multi-slice CT scanner (16-slice) and an 800 mA digital X-ray unit at the hospital's trauma care centre. These were procured under the National Health Mission (NHM) scheme at a cost of Rs 2.81 crore and Rs 62 lakh, respectively.
Enhancing Diagnostic Capacity and Reducing Wait Times
The addition of the new CT scanner is expected to significantly cut down diagnostic waiting periods for patients. The minister noted that GRH's radiodiagnosis department is already robust, housing five CT scan machines. This includes an advanced 128-slice CT scanner used for specialised procedures like cardiac and limb angiography.
Highlighting the hospital's massive diagnostic workload, Subramanian shared that GRH conducts over 400 CT scans and approximately 1,000 X-rays per day. In 2025 alone, the hospital performed more than 15,000 MRI scans. "As the need for such services are increasing at GRH, the government procured new machines," he explained.
Substantial Investments and Future Projects
The minister underscored the state government's substantial financial commitment to GRH, revealing an allocation of more than Rs 420 crore for the hospital over the past five years. In addition to the diagnostic equipment, he also inaugurated a new mortuary with 24 cold storage boxes, built at a cost of Rs 93.5 lakh under the NHM scheme.
Looking ahead, Minister Subramanian addressed the much-anticipated AIIMS Madurai project. He confirmed that the state government has urged the Centre to expedite construction and has received information that the institute is expected to be completed by 2027.
