Azim Premji Foundation funds Rs 500 cr for CMC Vellore’s Chittoor facility upgrade

Bengaluru: The Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, announced plans to establish a new medical college and teaching hospital on its Chittoor campus, with support from the Azim Premji Foundation, which is granting Rs 500 crore for the project.

In a joint press conference on Wednesday, CMC outlined its plan to upgrade the current 120-bed Chittoor hospital into a 422-bed teaching facility, meeting the National Medical Council norms for a 100 MBBS-student intake. The long-term vision includes expanding to a 1,200-bed hospital in phases.

The Azim Premji Foundation has allocated Rs 300 crore for hospital infrastructure, Rs 100 crore for student and staff housing, and Rs 100 crore as seed funding for the medical college.

CMC Director Dr Vikram Mathews spoke on the shared values between CMC and the foundation that focuses on equitable healthcare access.

Dr Mathews also explained about CMC’s efforts to diversify admissions, ensuring access for students from under-represented regions to prevent education from becoming accessible only to the elite.