Tamil Nadu announces seven new govt nursing colleges, 660 BSc Nursing seats

Tamil Nadu will add 660 BSc Nursing seats through seven new government nursing colleges, with institutions planned in six districts and an additional college at the Coimbatore Government Medical College and ESI Hospital.

The six new nursing colleges will come up in Namakkal, Tiruchirappalli, Dharmapuri, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai and Tirunelveli, according to a government order. Each college will have an annual intake of 100 students, creating 600 undergraduate seats.

The seventh college, to be established at the Coimbatore Government Medical College and ESI Hospital, will admit 60 students annually. The addition will take the total number of new BSc Nursing seats to 660.

The project covering the six district nursing colleges will involve an expenditure of ₹270.26 crore, which will be met by the Tamil Nadu Dr M G R Medical University.

Existing infrastructure at the respective medical colleges will be used to accommodate the new students for the current academic year.

The government order follows Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s Assembly announcement on establishing new nursing colleges in the six districts. While making a statement under Rule 110 in the Assembly, Vijay had said Tamil Nadu had not started a new government nursing college since 2014.

Vijay had also announced plans to increase admissions in government medical colleges to create nursing, pharmacy and paramedical personnel required for providing quality healthcare services. The estimated expenditure for the broader expansion was ₹351 crore.

“Seven new government nursing colleges will be started. As many as 660 BSc nursing student seats will be created, and an additional 1,925 student seats will be created in existing nursing colleges and nursing schools, 2,778 student seats in 12 paramedical courses and 735 additional seats in pharmacy courses, totalling 6,098 additional seats,” the CM had said.

The government order also specifies that staffing required for the approved intake will be arranged on a temporary or contractual basis.

“The proposed manpower shall be engaged strictly on a temporary/contract basis and only to the extent actually required for the approved intake. No permanent posts shall be created, and no additional pensionary or other continuing liability shall accrue to government on account of such engagement,” the GO stated.

The expansion comes alongside a separate recruitment exercise for nursing personnel. Earlier this month, the state government issued a notification to fill 4,724 nursing vacancies across Tamil Nadu on a contractual basis through the National Health Mission.