Tamil Nadu Assembly: State government to launch health insurance for the elderly
Another key announcement is the planned replacement of the 87-year-old Tamil Nadu Public Health Act, 1939, with a modern, comprehensive Act to address contemporary and future health challenges
The Tamil Nadu government is set to launch the 'Chief Minister's Elderly Health Insurance Scheme', providing free medical treatment for over 38 lakh senior citizens aged 70 and above. The scheme, announced by Health Minister K.G. Arunraj in the Assembly on August 17, 2026, will cover a wide range of treatments at empanelled government and private hospitals, without any income ceiling.
Announcing 115 initiatives for the Health Department with an estimated outlay of ₹2,997 crore, the Minister also revealed plans to replace the 87-year-old Tamil Nadu Public Health Act with a modern comprehensive Act. Additionally, Dr. Arunraj proposed to penalize unsupervised home births outside hospitals and establish the world-class 'TN Medicity' medical hub.
The government will also launch the 'Nalam 360-Annual Free Health Check-up for All' scheme, offering 14 basic tests annually to those aged 30 and above across 1,257 government health facilities. The Health Department will introduce Home Based Diagnostic Services in metropolitan areas and create a 'Positive Health Policy' to promote holistic health and wellbeing.
A new legislation 'TN Institutions of State Importance in Health Care Act' will be introduced to create institutions of State importance for world-class medical services. Over 2,500 permanent posts of staff nurses, 1,695 nursing posts, and 3,594 medical staff across 24 categories, including pharmacists, nursing assistants, village health nurses, and ophthalmic assistants, will be created.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu - Sci-Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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