Kerala Health Minister Veena George has informed the state assembly that the Centre has accepted the proposal to set up an AIIMS at Kinalur in Kozhikode.

150 acres of land belonging to the industries department at Kinalur has been acquired for AIIMS. Veena George said that steps to acquire the remaining 50 acres are in the final stage.

The Kozhikode Medical College has been a major super-speciality hospital in the government sector catering to 1.46 crore people in six northern districts. Around 9,000 patients visit the hospital daily, which is three times its actual capacity, even forcing patients to lie in corridors.

Moreover, the Kozhikode MCH is struggling with a severe staff shortage. The hospital’s ratio of nurses, nursing assistants, and doctors per patient is very low.

Despite allocating the ‘Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana’ Block, and Tertiary Cancer Care Centre, the hospital is still grappling with issues like overcrowding and staff shortage, which highlights the necessity of a referral system.