HC directs Centre to clarify stand on setting up AIIMS in Kerala

Kochi: High court on Wednesday directed the central govt to file within two weeks an affidavit regarding its stand on the establishment of an All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Kerala.A bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar further directed the deputy solicitor general to ensure that the affidavit also furnishes the criteria applied for prioritising the establishment of AIIMS. The court was considering a petition by AIIMS Kasaragod Janakeeya Koottayma, a public action group advocating for the establishment of the proposed AIIMS in Kasaragod district. During a previous hearing, HC had directed the central govt to conduct a feasibility study, in coordination with the state govt, regarding the proposed site at Kinaloor in Kozhikode to ascertain whether it conforms to the guidelines for establishing an AIIMS in the state.However, as this direction was not complied with, the court, during a subsequent hearing, directed the appearance of a competent officer — preferably from Union ministry of health and family welfare — before it to resolve the matter. This was after the state govt informed HC that there had been no further communication from the central govt after the state communicated its selection of Kinaloor for the proposed AIIMS.No policy decision yet on Kerala AIIMSAccordingly, health ministry joint secretary Ankita Mishra Bundela appeared virtually before HC on Wednesday and submitted that under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) scheme, 22 AIIMS were proposed to be established in various states, of which 18 have already become functional and the remaining four are at various stages of construction. She further submitted that the establishment of AIIMS in different parts of the country is a policy decision of the Union govt. Budgetary allocation would also be required in this matter, and the health ministry has no independent role in taking such a decision. At present, there is no policy decision to establish an AIIMS in Kerala. She also stated that the proposal for continuation of the PMSSY scheme for the next five years is currently at the stage of inter-ministerial consultation.Meanwhile, an affidavit filed by health ministry under secretary Binod Kumar stated that the Kerala chief minister was requested in June 2014 to identify three to four alternative locations for establishing an AIIMS. Four sites were initially recommended in 2016, and later, in 2025, the CM submitted a memorandum to the Union health minister seeking approval for establishing an AIIMS at Kinaloor. The affidavit further stated that a feasibility study for establishing an AIIMS at a particular location can be undertaken only after the Union govt takes a policy decision to establish an AIIMS in the concerned state.Expressing displeasure over the affidavit having been filed by an under secretary instead of a principal secretary or joint secretary in such an important matter, HC adjourned the petition to March 25.