AIIMSin Kerala: High court asks Union health ministry official to appear

Kochi: Kerala high court observed on Wednesday that the requirement for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the state cannot be taken lightly and directed that a competent officer in the matter, preferably from the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW), shall appear virtually on March 11 to enable the court to resolve the issue.A bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar issued the order in a petition filed by AIIMS Kasaragod Janakeeya Koottayma, a public action group advocating for the establishment of the proposed institute in the district. During the previous hearing, the court — noting that the state govt had already selected a site at Kinaloor in Kozhikode for the proposed AIIMS — had directed the central govt to carry out a feasibility study in coordination with the state govt regarding the Kinaloor site to ascertain whether it conforms to the guidelines for establishing AIIMS in the state. Additionally, the court had directed the central govt to file an affidavit in the matter.However, on Wednesday, the court stated that despite its repeated directives, MoHFW has not filed any affidavit indicating whether the proposed site conforms to the guidelines for establishing AIIMS. The central govt's counsel sought another four weeks to file the affidavit, but the court did not allow the same and granted only two weeks. The bench further stated that the decision in the matter has been pending since Jan 2025 and cannot be kept pending indefinitely.Meanwhile, counsel for the Union govt argued that funds for establishing AIIMS are allotted through the Budget and that, as of now, no budgetary allocation has been made for an AIIMS in Kerala, even though 22 AIIMS have been allotted across the country. In response, the court noted that the matter regarding the establishment of an AIIMS in Kerala has already been taken up for consideration and that, accordingly, the state govt had selected a site at Kinaloor and suggested it to the Central govt for establishing the institute. The feasibility study is now the responsibility of the central govt, the bench said.The court adjourned the petition to March 11 for the filing of the reply affidavit and further consideration.