Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said he has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expedite the approval for establishing an AIIMS at Kinaloor in Kozhikode district -- the site already earmarked for the medical institute by the state government.
Vijayan, speaking to reporters in Delhi, said that he has also made a request to Union Health Minister J P Nadda to expedite the final approval for setting up the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Kozhikode.
The CM's request to Modi and Nadda comes amidst Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi's recent call for setting up an All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Alappuzha.
Gopi, the Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism, had recently said that he has identified a place in the coastal Alappuzha district for setting up an AIIMS and if it's not established there, he has a right to ask where it should come up.
When reporters pointed this out to the CM, he said it was better not to respond to such statements.
"We (Kerala) have only asked for setting up AIIMS at Kozhikode. That is the only site before us. So, that is where it has to be set up.
"We have already acquired land for it as per the central government's instructions and if anything additional is required, we are ready to provide that as well," the CM said.
He said that his request to Nadda, also contained details of the efforts made by the state for getting the AIIMS sanctioned.
Vijayan said that Kerala has been demanding an AIIMS for a decade, and urged Nadda to take steps for necessary clearances from the Finance Ministry.
However, he did not raise the AIIMS issue with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman when he met her on Thursday, the CM said.
He said that the state has asked that the AIIMS project be included in the next phase of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), issue official orders allocating the premier medical institute to Kerala and send a team to study whether the identified land was feasible for it.
Vijayan said that he explained to the PM and Nadda the importance of the matter and received a good response from them.
Nadda also said that setting up of an AIIMS and an ICMR-National Institute for Geriatric Care and Healthy Ageing were both being actively considered by the Centre, the CM claimed.
He said that the state has sought permission for setting up the National Institute for Geriatric Care and Healthy Ageing in view of its unique demographic structure and its increasing elderly population.
The objective is to make the institute India's best centre for research, innovation, policy and service delivery in geriatric care and healthy ageing, for improving the health, dignity and quality of life of senior citizens, the Marxist veteran said.
"It will help address the urgent needs of the ageing population in the state and serve as a model for other countries going through similar demographic changes as India," Vijayan said.
He contended that both the AIIMS and the National Institute for Geriatric Care and Healthy Ageing will complement each other.
“It is expected that the Centre will fulfil the assurances given to the state government," the CM said.
