Centre Tells Kerala High Court Kerala Not a Priority for AIIMS

Kochi: Kerala's hopes of getting an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) appear to be fading, with the Centre informing the Kerala High Court that the state is not a priority for establishing an AIIMS. The Centre told the court that it is interested in setting up AIIMS institutions in other states first.

The Centre also told the High Court that Kerala is already performing well in the healthcare sector. The court had questioned the criteria behind excluding Kerala while 22 AIIMS institutions had been sanctioned in other states.

Kerala has been waiting for an AIIMS for the past 11 years. Despite the state government acquiring land and handing it over for the proposed AIIMS at Kinalur in Kozhikode, the Centre has been reluctant to grant approval, leading to strong political protests.

The High Court's intervention has gained significance in this context.

The Centre has repeatedly promised over the years that Kerala would get an AIIMS, but no concrete steps have followed. Vice President, who visited Kerala recently, had said that the state's dream of getting an AIIMS would be realised soon. BJP leaders, including Union ministers, have also made repeated promises of an AIIMS for Kerala on various occasions.

However, despite the High Court pointing out the discrimination against Kerala, the Centre continues to maintain its stand.

The state BJP leadership, along with Union Minister Suresh Gopi and others, is allegedly intervening to prevent an AIIMS from being established on the land acquired by the state government.