Kozhikode remains under consideration for proposed AIIMS, Satheesan says

Kozhikode is under active consideration for the proposed All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in Kerala, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan told elected representatives from the district on Saturday. Satheesan was responding to a demand from Kozhikode MP M.K.

Raghavan and MLAs K. Praveenkumar, K. Jayanth and V.T.

Sooraj. They argued that establishing the institute in Kozhikode would address the shortage of tertiary healthcare facilities in the Malabar region. The proposed site is at Kinalur.

The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation has already handed over 151.58 acres of land to the government, while acquisition of roughly another 100 acres had not been completed. The representatives said an AIIMS at Kinalur could serve about 1.5 crore people across seven districts from Kasaragod to Thrissur. Their appeal came amid concern over reports that locations other than Kozhikode might be considered.

The MP and MLAs said Kozhikode had consistently received top priority in communications with the Union government. They told the Chief Minister that any departure from that position could disappoint people in Malabar and trigger strong public sentiment. Satheesan’s assurance places Kozhikode among the locations being actively considered, but the source material does not say that a final site has been selected or that construction has been approved.

The meeting therefore leaves the proposal at the consideration stage. The land already transferred at Kinalur and the pending acquisition of the remaining area are the principal site details cited by the elected representatives in support of their demand.