Once again the State government has an opportunity to set up an All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-like institution in Kozhikode with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare agreeing in principle to a proposal for the purpose.
Four years ago, when the Centre proposed to establish additional 14 new AIIMS under various phases of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, Kerala lost the chance as the State was fumbling on the proposal though it had identified four locations.
These were the open jail compound at Nettukaltheri in Thiruvananthauram district, land at Kinalur in Kozhikode district with the Industries Department, land in possession of the medical college in Kottayam, and the HMT land at Kalamasserry in Ernakulam district.
Incidentally, the previous government had proposed to upgrade the 250-acre Kozhikode Medical College Hospital campus to the status of AIIMS since it has better clinical facilities than other medical college in the State.
Now Health Minister K.K. Shylaja said the government had finalised Kozhikode as the ideal location for the project. Though she had said that acquiring 200 acres for the project would not be a problem, it was easier said than done. The government has a Herculean task at hand though the land could be identified at Kinalur near Balussery, about 30 km from the city.
The government had in its possession over 300 acres of land at Kinalur acquired from the Cochin Malabar Estates more than 20 years ago. Of this, 30 acres had been allotted to the Usha School of Athletics, another five acres for a government college, two acres for a KSEB sub station and 100 acres to the Industries Department for promotion of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises. However, 300 acres of government land is available near to the Kinalur estate.
One of the hurdles that the government is likely to face is that the Centre should approve the project only after its expert team gives a favourable report for the purpose of setting up the AIIMS in Kozhikode. The new opportunity has come after the Health Department successfully combated the outbreak of the Nipah virus infection in mid-May.
At the same time, the Health Department is elated at the prospect that the burden of the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital would drastically decrease with the establishment of the AIIMS-like institution in the district.
