Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the long-awaited All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Thoppur in Madurai on February 28, marking a significant milestone for one of Tamil Nadu’s most talked-about healthcare projects and adding fresh political heat as the state heads towards Assembly elections later this year.
The announcement was confirmed by AIIMS Madurai Executive Director and CEO M. Hanumantha Rao, who said the Prime Minister has given his consent to inaugurate the first phase of the institute during his visit. The event is expected to be a major public occasion, with the NDA alliance planning additional development announcements and a rally featuring senior leaders.
AIIMS Madurai, a flagship medical institute sanctioned years ago, has suffered lengthy delays due to land acquisition and financing issues, with construction work only progressing significantly in recent times.
Officials say that in the initial phase, academic activities will shift from the temporary campus in Ramanathapuram to the permanent Madurai facility, and portions of the hospital infrastructure will open for public services from March. Students are expected to begin studies at the new campus in the 2026–27 academic year.
According to recent reports filed in the Madras High Court, about 50 per cent of the construction work had been completed as of late 2025, and the first phase was slated for delivery to the institute’s administration in early 2026.
The AIIMS project in Madurai was formally approved by the Union government years ago, and construction began only in 2024 under Larsen & Toubro after earlier delays sparked political controversy.
Critics in Tamil Nadu have repeatedly assailed the pace of work, noting that other AIIMS projects in the country have advanced more rapidly.
The institute is being built with financial support that includes funding arrangements with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under a loan agreement signed in 2021.
The timing of the inauguration — just weeks before the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections — has injected strong political significance into the event. The AIIMS project has frequently emerged as an election issue, with the state’s ruling DMK accusing the Union government of announcing the project without executing it in a timely manner.
In recent legislative debates, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin challenged opposition leaders to point to real progress at the site and criticized the delays, highlighting that the foundation stone was laid years earlier.
On the other side, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders argue that inaugurating a major central institution like AIIMS ahead of the polls will give the NDA a political edge, reinforcing development credentials.
Modi’s visit will reportedly include other project inaugurations and an NDA public meeting in Madurai. Ahead of that, he is scheduled to visit Puducherry on February 16 for a coalition meeting with partners in that territory.
The Prime Minister’s detailed schedule for the Madurai visit is still being finalised by authorities, with security and logistics preparations underway across the city.
