Azim Premji Foundation Supports CMC Vellore with INR 500 Cr Grant for New Medical College

The project will enhance healthcare access and address disparities in the Indian healthcare sector by focusing on Primary-cum-Secondary Healthcare (PSHC).

Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore has announced a major development on its Chittoor campus, with plans to establish a new medical college and a teaching hospital. 

This initiative is being made possible through an INR 500 Cr grant from the Azim Premji Foundation, which aims to provide value-based healthcare and medical education, particularly to underserved communities. 

The project will enhance healthcare access and address disparities in the Indian healthcare sector by focusing on Primary-cum-Secondary Healthcare (PSHC).

INR 500 Cr Grant to Expand Medical Facilities

As part of the agreement, the Azim Premji Foundation’s grant will be utilized to construct a new medical college on the Chittoor campus and upgrade the existing 120-bed hospital into a 422-bed teaching hospital. 

This expansion is expected to significantly bolster the region’s healthcare infrastructure, especially in PSHC, an area CMC Vellore intends to prioritize.

CMC Vellore, known for its pioneering work in medical education, is leveraging this partnership to extend its unique model of medical education. It focuses on training general physicians with a strong emphasis on primary and secondary care. These physicians will be equipped to address routine and complex healthcare needs, focusing on improving care for disadvantaged populations.

Advancing Primary and Secondary Healthcare Education

Dr Solomon Sathishkumar, Principal of CMC Vellore, commented on the importance of this development, stating, “Education at the Chittoor Campus began with allied health science courses and a College of Nursing five years ago. We hope the new Medical College will evolve into a national resource for advancing the discipline of Primary-cum-Secondary Healthcare, with a mandate to train general physicians who can function in any eventual role, but with preferential emphasis on quality primary and secondary care.”

This focus on PSHC comes as the Indian healthcare sector grapples with widening disparities between rural and urban healthcare access. 

By training doctors specifically for primary and secondary care roles, CMC Vellore aims to address these imbalances, ensuring that high-quality healthcare is accessible to the wider population, especially in underserved areas.