Kollam (Kerala), February 11 Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi said on Wednesday that an AIIMS was announced for Kerala in the 2016 Union Budget, and alleged that the state government did not take the necessary steps to move the initiative forward.
The Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism said that the Kerala government should have provided around four proposed sites for setting up the AIIMS, and then the Centre would have taken a decision.
"That is how AIIMS was set up in Kashmir," he said at a press conference here on the benefits of the 2026-27 Union Budget.
When asked about his stance on where AIIMS should be set up, Gopi said that since 2015, he had been wanting the premier medical facility to come up in Alappuzha, where basic infrastructure and health facilities were in a poor condition.
"But, if not in Alappuzha, then it should come in Thrissur which is centrally located, does not have development-related bottlenecks, and has more breathing space," Gopi, the Thrissur Lok Sabha MP, said.
He also said that while he has assured AIIMS will come to Kerala, "did I say it will come in 2026."
Gopi said that if the state government starts the preparations now, then AIIMS might become a reality in 2027 or 2028.
"Once the government indicates the proposed sites, there will be no hurdle in establishing an AIIMS in Kerala," he asserted.
He also asked why such demands and questions were not raised during the time of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre when there were several ministers from Kerala.
During the press meet, Gopi also praised the Union Budget, saying that it has been prepared with a long-term vision of what the country should be like in 2047.
He said that due to the political criticism against the budget, the central government has instructed MPs to inform people in all districts of the country about the benefits of the budget.