Azim Premji Foundation to support CMC Vellore with Rs 500 crore grant

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.
Dr. Vikram Mathews, Director of CMC Vellore, 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.”
Anurag Behar, Chief Executive Officer, Azim Premji Foundation, 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.”
Dr. Solomon Sathishkumar, Principal of CMC Vellore, 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.
About CMC Vellore
Top-ranked educational, healthcare and research institute in India
The Christian Medical College Vellore, located in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, is a 3675-bed multi-speciality healthcare institution of international repute. CMC’s primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary-care hospitals are spread across the Vellore and Ranipet districts of Tamil Nadu and Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. Together, they serve over 32 lakh patients from around the country and South Asia, offering charitable subsidies of over Rs 300 crore annually.
In the field of education, CMC Vellore has consistently been ranked #3 by the Ministry of Education, GoI. Medical, Nursing and Allied Health education is offered at CMC Vellore to over 2000 students every year, through 229 courses, at a fraction of the actual cost. Around 1300 students also benefit from Distance Education programmes. Research is a key focus with funds of over Rs 100 crore dedicated, every year, to finding locally relevant solutions to the pressing healthcare needs of today. Outreach is a central pillar of CMC’s mission, with community health programmes covering local populations of around 5 lakh and a network of 170 partner hospitals bringing vital and affordable healthcare services to rural and marginalised communities across the country.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Uday Zachariah, Associate Director (Designate), CMC Vellore Chittoor Campus
[e-mail] [phone]
Mr. Durai Jasper, Public Relations Officer, CMC Vellore
[e-mail] [phone]