No AIIMS for Kerala as Centre Confirms Approval of 22 Institutes Across India

Kerala remains one of the few southern states yet to receive an AIIMS, even as the Centre continues to expand the premier medical network in a phased manner across India

AIIMS New Delhi

The Union Government has confirmed that no All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has been sanctioned for Kerala, even as the total number of approved AIIMS across India stands at 22.

Replying to question in the Rajya Sabha, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda clarified that Kerala's proposal for an AIIMS has not been included in the current phase of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).

The Kerala government had proactively identified and proposed four potential sites for setting up an AIIMS: Kinaloor (Kozhikode), Kattakada (Thiruvananthapuram), Kottayam, and Ernakulam. However, these proposals have not received approval.

While Kerala continues to wait for its first AIIMS, the Centre has sanctioned 22 AIIMS in other states, including two in Uttar Pradesh—at Raebareli and Gorakhpur. Responding to another parliamentary query, the Ministry clarified that no new AIIMS is being planned in Meerut, a city that has been demanding such a facility to ease pressure on Delhi's AIIMS.

To address healthcare infrastructure in Kerala, the Centre has approved the upgradation of three major government medical colleges—Trivandrum, Alappuzha, and Kozhikode—through the construction of Super Speciality Blocks (SSBs). Additionally, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) in Trivandrum will also be upgraded under a cost-sharing model between the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the Department of Science and Technology.

This update confirms that Kerala remains one of the few southern states yet to receive an AIIMS, even as the Centre continues to expand the premier medical network in a phased manner across India.

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