Kochi:The high court on Wednesday, while expressing concern over the Centre’s decade-long delay in responding to the demand for an AIIMS in Keralam, orally asked whether the central govt’s stand was that the state did not require one.
A bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar further queried whether the large number of private hospitals in the state was a disqualification for establishing an AIIMS in Keralam.
The court granted six weeks’ time to the central govt to respond to a PIL seeking the establishment of an AIIMS in Keralam. The PIL was filed by AIIMS Kasaragod Janakeeya Koottayma advocating the establishment of the proposed AIIMS in Kasaragod district.
Meanwhile, the deputy solicitor general, appearing for the central govt, clarified that the delay was because Keralam has a better healthcare sector than other states and the central govt was prioritising states with weaker healthcare sectors.
Referring to the fact that the state had already recommended two locations for establishing an AIIMS and had a high population density, the court asked the Centre to identify the specific criteria that Keralam had failed to satisfy. It further said that the state’s better healthcare sector could not become a handicap for establishing an AIIMS.
HC asked whether Delhi was given an AIIMS because it has affluent people. It also pointed out that certain states have more than one AIIMS. The court further expressed hope that the central govt would take a conscious decision considering the need of the state.
The bench also recorded the submission of the DSG that the matter was under consideration as part of an inter-ministerial consultation and that a cabinet decision was mandatory for proceeding with the project.
