Chennai, July 17:
Minister Arunraj on Thursday said the upcoming Tamil Nadu State Budget will feature a series of preventive healthcare initiatives, with a strong focus on promoting healthier lifestyles among people. He emphasised that preventing diseases before they occur would be a key priority of the government, reflecting a shift from treatment-based care to early detection and prevention.
The minister announced that the comprehensive full-body health screening programme, currently functioning at the Omandurar Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai, would be expanded to districts across the State. He noted that the initiative has been successful in identifying health issues at an early stage and that the upcoming Budget would allocate funds to scale it up further.
Speaking at the release of “The 100 Year Blueprint: An Indian Doctor’s Guide to Longevity” authored by Dr Navin Gnanasekaran, Arunraj expressed concern over changing lifestyles and unhealthy dietary habits. He observed that while earlier generations had better knowledge of food, modern lifestyles have led to poor eating choices. He urged the public to adopt protein-rich diets, avoid unhealthy foods, and refrain from purchasing hot food and beverages in plastic covers due to potential health risks from chemicals.
Arunraj also clarified that the government would not discontinue welfare schemes introduced by previous administrations for political reasons, but would instead strengthen and improve them. Defending the ban on coloured papads made with artificial colouring agents, he said the decision was taken purely in the interest of public health.
On medical education and infrastructure, the minister said the State would continue to press the Union government for additional MBBS seats in government medical colleges. He added that new colleges would be established in districts that currently do not have such facilities, ensuring better access to medical education and healthcare services across Tamil Nadu.