Kerala High Court Questions Centre on Decade-Long Delay in Establishing AIIMS in Kerala
- Court Inquiry: The Division Bench questioned why Kerala is being deprioritized, specifically asking if the state's existing healthcare quality is being treated as a 'handicap' for project approval.
- Government Stance: Deputy Solicitor General O.M. Shalina stated that the Union government is currently prioritizing states with weaker health sectors, while the proposal remains stuck in inter-ministerial consultations under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
- Project History: The proposal for an AIIMS in Kerala was first raised in June 2016, with four potential locations identified, yet the project remains pending as the government awaits approval for the PMSSY scheme for the 2026-2031 period.
The Context & Background
The petition before the court seeks the establishment of an AIIMS to address the medical needs of the poor and needy in India's most densely populated state. The court has urged the Union government to take a conscious, priority-based decision on the proposal, highlighting the inconsistency of the government's criteria given the presence of multiple AIIMS institutes in other regions.
What's Next:The court's intervention forces a public debate on whether high-performing states should be penalized in federal resource allocation. The outcome will determine if the Union government must revise its PMSSY criteria to account for population density over existing infrastructure, potentially setting a precedent for how major medical infrastructure is distributed across India.
Original Sources & Coverage (1)
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