Ramadoss: ambitious plans
The Pattali Makkal Katchi’s chief ministerial candidate Anbumani Ramadoss said his party will introduce healthcare delivery on the lines of Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) if it comes to power in Tamil Nadu after May 16 assembly elections.
“Our aim is to bring to the state a scheme similar to NHS where quality healthcare is free and accessible to all sections of the society. We will also implement Tamil Nadu Health Mission focusing on preventive, promotive and curative aspects of healthcare,” Ramadoss told the party’s young candidates contesting from different constituencies in the city.
The PMK has given tickets to professionally qualified people who were not even members of the party.
“We walk the talk. We have nominated people from cross sections of the society as our candidates and there are no internal dissidence due to this. We have nominated Dalits, Brahmins, Christians, and Muslims as our candidates,” Ramadoss said.
In the case of other parties, one can see the same old faces and there is no infusion of fresh blood, he added.
According to Ramadoss, a medical doctor, urban healthcare is important in Tamil Nadu as 49% of the state is urbanised.
He said once the healthcare delivery in the state is upgraded and streamlined, then 95% of the patients covered under the state government health insurance scheme will be admitted in the government hospitals.
“That money will be ploughed back to improve the system further,” he said.
He said the PMK government will be a truly welfare government where education, healthcare and city transport will be free.
“The government will not take over the educational institutions. The student fees will be paid by the government. The fees charged by the educational institutions will be regulated,” Ramadoss said.
As to the funds for providing free education he said only around Rs120bn would be needed and it could be met by scrapping freebie schemes that costs the state around Rs620bn.
He said the PMK government will take a series of measures to conserve rain water in Chennai rather than let it run off, and set up desalination plants.
