Doctors, nurses, paramedics and sanitary workers involved in treating COVID-19 patients in isolation at government hospitals in Tamil Nadu will get a special payout of a month's salary to honour them, Chief Minister K Palaniswami told the Assembly on Tuesday.

Lauding their work while legislators stood up and applauded after his appeal, the chief minister said doctors, nurses, paramedics and cleanliness workers are working with a sense of dedication, even risking their lives.

'We are duty bound to appreciate them,' he said adding they would get a special payout of one month salary.

Days ago, Palaniswami had rechristened Tamil Nadu's sanitary workers as 'cleanliness workers.'

In a statement in the House, the Chief Minister said air ambulance service would be started at a cost of Rs 10 crore to transport critical patients to hospitals.

To further develop four State-run hospitals, including the Government Hospital for Thoracic Medicine at Tambaram Sanatorium here and upgrade King's Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research's lab to Bio safety Level-III, a total amount of Rs 110 crore will be spent in the current fiscal, he said.

Palaniswami said a robotic surgery centre will be set up at a cost of Rs 34.60 crore at the state run multispeciality hospital here at the government estate.