TTD to pool Rs. 550 cr to set up world-class pediatric hospital in Tirupati

Tirupati: In a bid to cater to the medical needs of infants from the poor sections of the society, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is gearing up to pool over Rs. 550 crore through donations to establish a multi-disciplinary state-of-the-art pediatric hospital in Tirupati.

This is probably the first time in its history that TTD will be collecting such a large amount through donations at one time.

TTD's additional executive officer A.V Dharma Reddy said the TTD trust board had recently passed a resolution to construct a world-class pediatric hospital to provide free medical treatment to infants from economically poor families across Andhra Pradesh.

The resolution was passed following a directive from Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy to the TTD to construct a world-class pediatric hospital on the lines of the Niloufer Hospital in Hyderabad, Telangana. Jagan had said Andhra Pradesh does not have a pediatric hospital following the bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh in 2014.

TTD requires over Rs. 500 crore to construct the hospital. So, it has decided to pool funds through donations from philanthropists and devotees, said Dharma Reddy.

TTD chairman Y.V Subba Reddy recently announced that the temple trust will allocate 531 Udayasthamana seva tickets to donors who donate Rs.1 crore and above towards the construction of the hospital. The donor along with five other family members can take part in all the arjitha sevas - from Suprabatham till Ekantha Seva - at the Tirumala temple on a single day in one calendar year (other than Fridays).

This privilege will be extended to the donor for a period of 25 years.

Meanwhile, donors who donate Rs. 1.5 crore to the TTD will receive one Udayasthamana seva on Friday which includes the highly revered Abhishekam darshan.