Health

Madras Eye Infirmary established

The Madras Eye Infirmary, now the Egmore Eye Hospital, was founded and is regarded as the oldest eye hospital in Asia.

Ootacamund becomes a sanatorium of the Madras Presidency

By 1827 Ootacamund in the Nilgiris had been established as a sanatorium of the Madras Presidency.

Madras Medical College founded

A medical school was opened in Madras that grew into Madras Medical College, one of the oldest in Asia.

Madras General Hospital opens to Indians

Once reserved for Europeans, the Madras General Hospital moved to a new H-shaped building and admitted Indians.

Kodaikanal hill station established

In the Palani Hills, American missionaries from the Madurai Mission founded Kodaikanal as an escape from the summer heat.

Cinchona introduced to the Nilgiris

Cinchona plants brought from South America by Clements Markham's expedition were planted at Ootacamund as a source of quinine.

First women students admitted to Madras Medical College

Mary Scharlieb and three other women entered Madras Medical College in 1875, among the first women to study medicine in India.

King Institute of Preventive Medicine established

Set up at Guindy in Madras, the King Institute of Preventive Medicine was created to fight infectious diseases.

Ida Scudder opens a dispensary in Vellore

Ida Scudder, an American medical missionary, started a dispensary with one bed in Vellore, from which the Christian Medical College grew.

Pasteur Institute of Southern India opens at Coonoor

The Pasteur Institute of Southern India began work at Coonoor in April 1907 and became a major producer of anti-rabies vaccine.

Muthulakshmi Reddy graduates from Madras Medical College

Muthulakshmi Reddy, the first woman admitted to Madras Medical College in 1907, graduated in 1912 and became one of India's first women doctors.

Union Mission Medical School for Women opens at Vellore

Ida Scudder began training women doctors at Vellore with the Union Mission Medical School for Women, opened in 1918.

Influenza pandemic reaches Madras

The 1918 influenza pandemic reached Madras by the end of June 1918 and caused heavy mortality across the presidency.

Muthulakshmi Reddy becomes first woman legislator in India

Doctor and reformer Muthulakshmi Reddy was nominated to the Madras Legislative Council, becoming the first woman legislator in British India.

Prohibition introduced in Salem district

The Rajaji ministry introduced prohibition of liquor in Salem district, the first such experiment in the Presidency.

Christian Medical College Vellore begins MBBS course

Ida Scudder's medical school at Vellore became a university-affiliated medical college and began offering the MBBS degree.

Cancer Institute (WIA) established at Adyar

The Women's Indian Association, led by Muthulakshmi Reddy, set up the Cancer Institute at Adyar in Madras.

Kannoli Thittam free eye surgeries

The Karunanidhi government provided free eye surgeries for the blind under the Kannoli Thittam during its 1969-76 tenure.

Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board given statutory status

Set up in 1969, the TWAD Board was made a statutory body in charge of water supply and sewerage everywhere outside Madras.

Prohibition suspended in Tamil Nadu

The Karunanidhi government suspended prohibition and permitted the sale of arrack and toddy, before stopping it again in 1974.

Sankara Nethralaya eye hospital founded in Madras

Led by S. S. Badrinath, a group in Madras founded Sankara Nethralaya, a charitable eye hospital run on a not-for-profit basis.

Apollo Hospitals founded in Madras

Prathap C. Reddy founded Apollo Hospitals in Madras, India's first corporate healthcare provider.

MGR falls ill and is treated in the United States

Kidney failure put Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran in hospital, and he later had a kidney transplant in New York.

First HIV cases in India detected in Madras

India's first documented HIV infections were found among sex workers in Madras by microbiologist Suniti Solomon and her student Sellappan Nirmala.

Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme

Tamil Nadu began cash assistance for poor pregnant women, a pioneering state maternity benefit scheme named after Muthulakshmi Reddy.

Tamil Nadu Medical University created

Presidential assent was given to the Tamil Nadu Medical University Act; the university opened in Madras in 1988 and later took MGR's name.

Cradle Baby Scheme launched against female infanticide

The Jayalalithaa government introduced the Cradle Baby Scheme, allowing parents to leave unwanted infant girls with the state anonymously.

Erwadi mental home fire

Chained to their beds, 28 inmates died when fire swept through a faith-based mental asylum at Erwadi.

108 free emergency ambulance service begins

The state health department launched the free 108 emergency ambulance service, run in partnership with GVK-EMRI.

Hogenakkal Integrated Drinking Water Project

A Cauvery-based drinking water scheme for Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts was begun in 2008 amid objections from Karnataka and launched in 2013.

Kalaignar health insurance scheme launched

The state launched the Kalaignar Kapitu Thittam to give economically disadvantaged families free treatment in hospitals.

New Assembly-Secretariat complex inaugurated

A new legislature and secretariat building on Anna Salai was opened, but the next government moved back to Fort St. George and turned it into a hospital.

Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme

Jayalalithaa launched a state health insurance scheme for 1.34 crore families, replacing the earlier Kalaignar insurance scheme.

Amma Pharmacy medical shops

Jayalalithaa opened the first ten 'Amma' pharmacies to sell quality medicines at fair prices.

Amma Salt launched

The Tamil Nadu Salt Corporation began selling low-priced iodised and fortified salt under the 'Amma' brand.

Amma Master Health Check-Up

Jayalalithaa announced low-cost comprehensive health check-ups in government hospitals and twice-weekly tests at primary health centres.

Amma Baby Care Kit for newborns

Mothers delivering in government hospitals began receiving a free kit of 16 baby care items worth about Rs. 1,000.

COVID-19 pandemic reaches Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu reported its first COVID-19 case in March 2020; the pandemic brought lockdowns and two severe waves.

7.5 percent medical seat quota for government school students

The Governor assented to a law reserving 7.5 percent of medical seats for students who studied in government schools.

Amma Mini Clinics opened

Palaniswami inaugurated 630 'Amma mini clinics' for basic health checks, part of a plan for 2,000 clinics across the state.

Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam doorstep healthcare launched

The state launched a doorstep healthcare scheme for screening and treating non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

Kalaignarin Varumun Kappom health camps relaunched

Stalin revived the Varumun Kappom preventive health camps of Karunanidhi's time, with 1,250 camps a year across the state.

Innuyir Kaappom: free emergency care for accident victims

The state began paying for the first 48 hours of emergency treatment of all road accident victims in Tamil Nadu, including in private hospitals.

Ennore ammonia gas leak

Ammonia leaked from a subsea pipeline of a fertiliser plant at Ennore, sending dozens of residents of fishing villages to hospital.

Kallakurichi illicit liquor deaths

Methanol-laced illicit liquor killed more than 60 people in Kallakurichi district.

Mudhalvar Marundhagam low-cost pharmacies

Stalin inaugurated 1,000 'Chief Minister's pharmacies' selling generic and other medicines at discounts of up to 75 percent.

Nalam Kaakkum Stalin health camps

Health screening camps covering many medical specialties were rolled out across Tamil Nadu by Chief Minister Stalin.