Even as the rejection of Kerala’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is among the campaign issues that the Left Democratic Front has taken up in the upcoming assembly elections in the state, the Union government has remained evasive as to why the premier healthcare institution is not being set up here.
The most recent example is the replies of Congress MPs Kodikunnil Suresh and Adoor Prakash in the Lok Sabha on 27 March. They asked the Union Health and Welfare Minister whether the Center had received proposals from the Kerala government to set up an AIIMS in the state. Mr. Suresh and Mr. Prakash sought to know the details, including the locations proposed by the state government and the current status of their consideration, if any.
They also asked whether the Union government was proposing to sanction AIIMS for Kerala without delay, keeping in mind the long-standing demand and the fact that proposals had already been made by the state government. The MPs have sought its details along with the likely timeline for approval and establishment if the Center plans to grant permission. They sought to know the reasons for the delay, if not, and the steps taken by the Union Government to resolve the matter, as the state had sent repeated requests to that effect.
Another question was whether the Union government is aware that Kerala is in dire need of an institute of excellence like AIIMS that could also serve as a research center in view of the reporting of rare viral diseases in the state.
However, Prataprao Jadhav, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, said that “the proposal to set up an AIIMS in Kerala has not been approved”. He said the state had notified in 2025 to identify land in Kinalur, Kozhikode for this purpose. The minister also pointed out that in 2016, the state government had identified and proposed Kinalur in Kozhikode district, Kattakkada taluk in Thiruvananthapuram district and Kottayam and Ernakulam districts as possible locations. Mr. Jadhav, however, did not elaborate on the reasons for the delay and chose not to answer other queries, but mentioned the objective of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, under which institutes are being set up across the country. He also mentioned the approval of strengthening and modernization of Government Medical College Hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha and Kozhikode.
Earlier on March 10, Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP in the Rajya Sabha V. Sivadasan questioned the amount of funds allocated in the Union Budget for existing and setting up new AIIMS in the last five years. However, the minister’s reply did not contain any mention of Kerala. In August 2019, the Union Health Ministry requested the Union Finance Ministry to grant “in-principle” approval for a new AIIMS for Kerala.
Published – 28 March 2026 19:20 IST
