Centre says no budget for AIIMS Keralam under PMSSY

A plan to set up an AIIMS in Keralam under the PMSSY scheme has not been mentioned in any budget announcement, the Centre told the Kerala High Court on Wednesday.

The Centre said that a proposal to continue the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) for five more years is currently under discussion between ministries. It added that a decision to open a new AIIMS can only be taken after the extension of the scheme is approved and funds are allotted.

The court noted that the proposal for an AIIMS in Keralam has been pending with the Centre since 2016 and asked for a decision to be taken soon, keeping in view the state's needs.

Advocate K K Subeesh, representing the AIIMS Kasaragod Janakeeya Koottayma, said that the Centre told the court it is giving priority to states with weaker healthcare systems for setting up AIIMS, and Keralam has good healthcare infrastructure.

In its affidavit, filed through Deputy Solicitor General of India (DSGI) OM Shalina, the Centre said that the PMSSY scheme aims to reduce regional differences in the availability of affordable and reliable tertiary healthcare services across the country and improve medical education facilities.

It stated that under the scheme, to improve and expand tertiary healthcare in Keralam, super specialty blocks were approved and built at Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode medical colleges as well as Government T D medical college in Alappuzha.

"Further, under Phase V-A of the scheme in 2017, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram was upgraded by constructing a 170-bed Super Specialty Block."

"These facilities have greatly helped in improving tertiary care services in the state of Keralam," it said.

The central government also said that since 2014, the Keralam government had identified four locations -- Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts -- for setting up an AIIMS and in 2025 showed preference for Kinaloor in Kozhikode to establish the premier medical institute.

"The Ministry of Finance, Government of India was consulted on this matter in 2019 and 2020. However, the proposal to set up an AIIMS in Kerala under PMSSY scheme has not been included in any budget announcement so far," the central government said in its affidavit."