Chennai, July 22: The Tamil Nadu government has made a significant decision to enhance nursing education in the state. The number of seats in government nursing institutions will increase from 796 to 1,651. This initiative will add a total of 855 new seats across undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) programs.
The primary goal of this expansion is to improve the availability of trained nursing professionals in the state’s healthcare services and to provide affordable nursing education for economically disadvantaged students.
This initiative is part of a broader plan to strengthen allied health education, alongside increasing MBBS and BDS seats in government medical colleges.
The Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) has approved this proposal. Admissions for the new seats will commence once the necessary regulatory approvals are obtained.
According to the proposal, 13 government institutions will receive 660 B.Sc. Nursing, 120 Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing, and 75 M.Sc. Nursing seats. The total B.Sc. Nursing seats will rise from 510 to 1,170.
Most of the new seats will be available in six new model nursing colleges being established within government medical college campuses. Each institution is being constructed at an estimated cost of around ₹40 crore, with financial assistance from Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University. Additionally, seats will also be increased at the Government Medical College and ESI Hospital in Coimbatore.
As per the proposed seat allocation, the K.A.P. Viswanathan Government Medical College in Tiruchirappalli and government medical colleges in Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Dharmapuri, Erode, and Tirunelveli will each receive an additional 100 B.Sc. Nursing seats. The Government Medical College and ESI Hospital in Coimbatore will gain 60 new seats.
The government will also expand higher nursing education. An additional 120 Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing seats will be evenly distributed among nursing colleges affiliated with Chengalpattu Medical College, Government Theni Medical College, and Raja Muthiah Medical College in Cuddalore.
Similarly, 75 new M.Sc. Nursing seats will be allocated equally among nursing colleges affiliated with Chengalpattu Medical College, Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College in Salem, and Government Theni Medical College.
Officials state that this decision will particularly benefit students who cannot afford the high fees of private nursing colleges. The annual fee for B.Sc. Nursing and Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing in government institutions is ₹60,000, while the management quota fee can reach ₹1.2 lakh. For M.Sc. Nursing, the government quota fee is ₹75,000, compared to ₹1.25 lakh for the management quota.
According to the Tamil Nadu Nursing Council, approximately 19,000 nursing students register with the council each year. The government believes that this increase in seats will help meet the growing demand for trained nursing personnel in the future.
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