Thiruvananthapuram | The Centre has given in-principle approval to start admissions to 100 MBBS seats from the next academic year at the K Karunakaran Memorial Government Medical College here, Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan said on Tuesday.

He announced the significant development a day after meeting Union Health Minister J P Nadda in New Delhi.

The Union minister also assured that an AIIMS would be sanctioned for Kerala, Muraleedharan said in a statement.

According to Muraleedharan, Nadda described it as "criminal negligence" that K Karunakaran Memorial Government Medical College, where buildings and other infrastructure had been created about 10 years ago at a cost of hundreds of crores of rupees, could not begin the MBBS course.

He said around 1,100 students would have benefited had the course started on time.

The Union minister also asked the state to submit a proposal for setting up India's first Genetic Institute in Kerala, Muraleedharan said.

He said the Centre assured assistance for establishing trauma care centres at district hospitals in all districts of the state.

Muraleedharan said Nadda also agreed in principle to Kerala's request to enhance the coverage under the Centre's health insurance scheme.

The Union minister assured assistance to upgrade the state's three mental health centres and extend Central support for administering the HPV vaccine to girls, he said.

The state also informed the Union minister that the allocation under the National Health Mission (NHM) was inadequate for Kerala. Nadda assured that the allocation would be enhanced as and when funds become available, Muraleedharan said.

The state further raised the need for medicines for non-communicable diseases, certain cancer drugs and some medicines that are currently unavailable in India. Nadda assured steps would be taken to make such medicines available, the minister said.

Muraleedharan said the Union minister also promised enhanced Central assistance for the State Virology Institute and appreciated Kerala's healthcare system, describing its functioning as exemplary.

The meeting with the Union minister was cordial, and he adopted a positive approach towards the state's demands, Muraleedharan added in the statement.