When will Keralam get AIIMS? What the Centre told the High Court

The Centre, on Wednesday (October 7), told the Kerala High Court that AIIMS in Keralam was not a priority and that preference is given to the states with weak health infrastructure.

The remarks came after a bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V M noted that the proposal for an AIIMS in Keralam has been pending before the Centre since 2016.

Budget hurdle

The Centre told the bench that a proposal for establishing an AIIMS in Keralam under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) scheme has not been included in any budget announcement. A proposal to extend the PMSSY scheme for another five years is presently at the stage of inter-ministerial consultations, it added.

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"It is most respectfully submitted that any decision for setting up of a new AIIMS can be taken only after the approval of the continuation of the scheme is communicated and funds allocated therein. Thereafter, in accordance with the policy decision, requisite proposal can be processed for consideration of the Cabinet," the Centre said in an affidavit filed in response to two pleas by two public action groups seeking setting up of an AIIMS in Kasaragod or Kottayam.

Centre’s rationale

Advocate K K Subeesh, representing the AIIMS Kasaragod Janakeeya Koottayma, said that the Centre also told the court that it was prioritising states with weaker healthcare for setting up AIIMS and Keralam has good healthcare infrastructure.

The division bench criticised the Centre's rationale, noting that high population density and the inability of many residents to afford private healthcare make an AIIMS necessary in the state, and urged the Centre to decide on the long-pending proposal without further delay. The bench also noted that the proposal has been pending for nearly a decade before the Centre.

Health infrastructure

In its affidavit, filed through Deputy Solicitor General of India (DSGI) OM Shalina, the Centre has said that the PMSSY scheme aims to correct regional imbalances in the availability of affordable and reliable tertiary healthcare services in different parts of the country and to augment facilities for quality medical education.

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It contended that under the scheme, to strengthen and expand the tertiary healthcare facilities in Keralam, super speciality blocks were approved and set up in the Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode medical colleges as well as the Government T D medical college in Alappuzha.

"Further, under Phase V-A of the scheme in 2017, Sree Chitra Tirunal lnstitute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram has been upgraded by way of construction of a 170-bedded Super Speciality Block.

"These facilities have significantly contributed in augmenting tertiary care facilities in the state of Keralam." it said.

The central government further said that the Keralam government had since 2014 identified four locations - Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts - for setting up an AIIMS and in 2025 indicated its preference for Kinaloor in Kozhikode to set up the premier medical institute.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism Suresh Gopi said he was firm in his resolve to ensure an AIIMS is set up in Keralam and reiterated that he won't seek votes again if a foundation stone of the institute is not laid in the state.

(With Agency inputs)