AIIMS for Keralam: Kozhikode under active consideration, says Satheesan

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has promised a section of elected representatives from Kozhikode that the district is under active consideration for setting up an All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Keralam. He was responding to a demand in this regard from M.K. Raghavan, Kozhikode MP, and K. Praveenkumar, K. Jayanth, and V.T. Sooraj, MLAs, on Saturday (October 3).

During a meeting with the Chief Minister, they pointed out that establishing an AIIMS in Kozhikode would bring great relief to the Malabar region considering the significant shortage of tertiary healthcare facilities here.

The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation has already handed over 151.58 acres of land to the government at Kinalur. The acquisition of the remaining 100 acres or so was yet to be completed. Establishing the AIIMS at Kinalur would enable it to play a pivotal role in safeguarding the health of approximately 1.5 crore people across seven districts, stretching from Kasaragod to Thrissur, the MP and the MLAs said.

However, they also expressed concern over reports suggesting that locations other than Kozhikode might be considered for the project. Kozhikode has consistently been accorded top priority in all communications with the Union government so far, they said. The MP and the MLAs drew the Chief Minister’s attention to the fact that deviating from this stance would dampen the hopes of the people of Malabar and trigger strong public sentiments.