Kozhikode (Keralam) | Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Saturday said that the proposed Keralam Institute of Organ and Tissue Transplant will be established in Kozhikode within 30 months.

He was speaking after inaugurating the silver jubilee celebrations of the Kerala Heart Care Society here.

The institute, coming up on 20 acres of land at Chevayur Golf Link Road at a cost of Rs 271 crore, will have state-of-the-art facilities, Satheesan said.

With all services related to organ transplant surgeries available under one roof, the cost of treatment will come down to one-third of the existing expenses, he added.

The new hospital complex will have 350 beds and 10 operation theatres. A fully equipped skin disease hospital will also be constructed on the same campus at Chevayur at Rs 35 crore, he said.

The institute, which is planned as a major research centre, aims to conduct 1,100 corneal, 520 kidney, 50 heart, 40 lung and 120 bone marrow transplant surgeries annually, Satheesan said.

Kerala will be developed as a healthcare destination attracting both domestic and foreign patients by leveraging its climate and other favourable conditions, he added.

Wellness and rehabilitation centres and facilities offering holistic treatment for diseases, including stroke, would be established as part of the initiative.

The state will also organise extensive campaigns for disease prevention and diagnosis, he added.