Wayanad will get a special health care package

Health Minister K. Muraleedharan announced a special healthcare package for Wayanad comprising more than a dozen projects.

He inaugurated ‘Kayakalpam’, a public awareness initiative of the Health Department, in Kalpetta on Friday (July 3, 2026).

A super specialty hospital would soon be set up in the district, Mr. Muraleedharan said. He noted that the site currently earmarked for relocation of the Wayanad Government Medical College was found unsuitable as it falls within the reserved forest area.

“The government is exploring the possibility of identifying an alternative site at Mananthavady. If a decision is not taken quickly and infrastructure development is not speeded up, the medical college could lose its recognition next year. To prevent this, a meeting chaired by the chief minister will be convened soon to take a decision,” he said.

The minister said that the Vythiri taluk hospital would be upgraded as a district model hospital and the foundation stone for its intensive care unit would be laid soon. To address the lack of MRI scanning services in the government sector, an MRI scanner will soon be installed in a major government hospital in the district. Corresponding posts will be created in all government hospitals in the district and staff will be appointed, he said.

Mr. Muraleedharan said the government would also take steps to release pending funds for various health projects. “A dedicated building will be constructed for the district medical office (Health), which is currently functioning without its own administrative building. Sulthan Bathery taluk hospital will be upgraded to a district hospital,” he said.

Mobile medical units will be set up in areas affected by human-wildlife conflict. In view of the increasing number of cancer patients in Wayanad, a detailed study will be conducted, the minister said.

He said that the family of Aneesh, a resident of Kambalakkad, who is undergoing treatment for motor neurone disease, will be given financial assistance for the treatment under the Arogya Kiranam programme.

The minister said water quality testing would be stepped up to prevent water-borne diseases, including shigellosis. He added that the effective intervention of the health department has successfully controlled the spread of Nipah virus and that coordinated efforts have helped bring the Shigellosis outbreak under control.

Agriculture Minister T. Siddique presided.

Published – 03 Jul 2026 20:07 IST