Azim Premji Foundation to support CMC Vellore
Bengaluru: Christian Medical College Vellore today unveiled plans to set up a new medical college and a teaching hospital on its Chittoor campus and announced a partnership agreement with Azim Premji Foundation to offer value-based healthcare and medical education, primarily for the disadvantaged.
As part of the agreement, the Foundation will extend a Rs 500 crore grant to CMC Vellore to set up the medical college and upgrade the existing 120-bed hospital into a teaching hospital with 422 beds. The grant will also enable CMC Vellore, a pioneer in medical education, to extend the distinctive elements of their MBBS education and focus on the discipline of Primary-cum-Secondary Health Care (PSHC) to address the widening disparities in the Indian healthcare sector.
The Director of CMC Vellore, Dr Vikram Mathews said, “Our dream is that the new medical college and teaching hospital at our Chittoor Campus will offer a replicable model of relevant medical education, healthcare delivery, research, and outreach, sensitive to the financial, societal and resource constraints of our nation. We are immensely grateful to the Azim Premji Foundation for partnering with us on this journey as CMC Vellore steps into her 125th anniversary in 2025.”
The Chief Executive Officer, Azim Premji Foundation, Anurag Behar said, “CMC Vellore is an exemplary institution – the highest quality education and healthcare with deep social commitment. This has made them one of the true beacons for Indian healthcare. We are privileged to support them as they establish their second medical college.”
The Principal of CMC Vellore, Dr Solomon Sathish Kumar said, “Education at the Chittoor Campus began with allied health science courses and a College of Nursing five years ago. We hope that the new Medical College will evolve into a national resource for the advancement of the discipline of Primary-cum-Secondary Health Care, with a mandate to train general physicians who can function in any eventual role, but with preferential emphasis to quality primary and secondary care.” The agreement builds on the close association between the two organisations that began in 2020 when the pandemic disrupted India’s healthcare system.