The Kerala High Court has directed the Centre to take a decision without further delay on Kerala’s long-pending proposal for setting up an AIIMS, noting that the matter has remained pending since 2016.
A bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V M said the Centre should consider the healthcare needs of the state while deciding the proposal.
The direction came while the court was hearing two petitions filed by public action groups seeking establishment of an AIIMS in Kasaragod or Kottayam.
Centre Says AIIMS Proposal Not Part of Any Budget Announcement
In an affidavit filed before the court, the Centre said the proposal for establishing an AIIMS in Kerala under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana has not been included in any budget announcement so far.
It also informed the bench that a proposal to extend the PMSSY scheme for another five years is currently under inter-ministerial consultation.
The Centre said a decision on setting up any new AIIMS can be taken only after continuation of the scheme is approved and funds are allocated. Thereafter, the proposal can be processed for consideration of the Cabinet in accordance with the policy decision.
Kerala Identified Four Locations
According to the affidavit, the Kerala government had identified four possible locations for an AIIMS since 2014: Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts.
In 2025, the state indicated Kinaloor in Kozhikode as its preferred location for the institute.
The Centre said the Ministry of Finance was consulted on the proposal in 2019 and 2020, but the project has not been included in any budget announcement.
Advocate K K Subeesh, appearing for AIIMS Kasaragod Janakeeya Koottayma, said the Centre also informed the court that states with weaker healthcare infrastructure were being given priority for new AIIMS institutions and that Kerala has comparatively good healthcare facilities.
Centre Points to Existing Tertiary Care Expansion
The Centre, through Deputy Solicitor General of India OM Shalina, said the PMSSY scheme is intended to address regional imbalances in access to affordable and reliable tertiary healthcare and strengthen medical education facilities.
It said super speciality blocks had already been approved and established at medical colleges in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, as well as Government T D Medical College in Alappuzha.
The affidavit further stated that under Phase V-A of the scheme in 2017, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram was upgraded through construction of a 170-bed super speciality block.
According to the Centre, these facilities have significantly strengthened tertiary healthcare services in Kerala.
