Kottayam (Kerala) | Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Sunday said the establishment of an AIIMS in Kerala was no longer a distant prospect and could become a reality once the state government completed the required formalities.

Gopi said the UDF government in Kerala and the state health minister had shown a significant change in their approach to the proposed AIIMS project.

He was addressing a programme organised by the BJP's Kottayam district unit as part of International Yoga Day celebrations here.

"If the state completes the procedures and documentation required under the prescribed norms, the project could find a place in the next Union Budget itself. Otherwise, it may be included in the subsequent Budget. In any case, the establishment of an AIIMS in Kerala is not far away," he said.

Earlier this month, the union minister had welcomed the state government's reported willingness to consider any location suggested by the Centre for setting up the premier medical institution.

He had described the new UDF government's stand as a positive development that could strengthen Kerala's case for securing an AIIMS.

"This change in approach is not merely a governmental necessity; it is a public demand. I am happy that the government has understood that requirement," he had said.

State Health Minister K Muraleedharan had recently said the government was open to any location proposed by the Centre for the AIIMS project and was willing to acquire and hand over the required land without insisting on a particular site.

The demand for establishing an AIIMS in Kerala has been raised for several years, with successive state governments proposing various locations for the institution.