Kerala health department to expand nursing education infrastructure

Health Minister K. Muraleedharan on Wednesday inaugurated the MRI scanning unit and ROTEM machine at the Government Medical College, Kollam.

In a bid to prevent students from leaving the state for nursing education, the government has decided to set up new nursing colleges and increase seat capacity in existing institutions, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said here on Wednesday. Inaugurating the newly installed MRI scanning unit and ROTEM machine at the Government Medical College, Kollam, the minister added that new hostels would be set up for nursing colleges that currently have no accommodation, with implementation work to begin within three months.

“To ease the workload of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and laboratory technicians at the state medical faculties, additional positions will be gradually created. The state’s financial restrictions would not hinder the health sector,” he said. He highlighted the expertise in the state institutions and noted that the rapid containment of the Nipah virus within two months of the new government assuming office was a testament to the dedication of government health professionals. “With bipartisan support from elected representatives and a cooperative workforce, Kollam Medical College will soon become the best medical college in Kerala,” he said, adding that the facility’s long-defective air conditioning system would be restored within three days.

The commissioning of the MRI scanning unit and the ROTEM machine represents a significant step in the transformation of the hospital into a modern center of excellence. A state-of-the-art MRI facility was installed at a cost of ₹ 15 crore, while the ROTEM facility – procured at a cost of ₹ 15 lakh for the hospital’s blood bank – is only the second of its kind in the state government sector, the first being operational at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. The minister officially launched both the advanced machines in the medical faculty auditorium and performed the official switch-on ceremony in the diagnostic block.

Published – 11 Nov 2026 21:14 IST