Kollam: Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi on Wednesday alleged that the lethargy of the LDF government led to the failure to establish an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Kerala. Addressing the media in Kollam, the minister argued that AIIMS was announced for the state in the 2016 Union Budget, but the government did not take the requisite steps to move the initiative forward.

“Kerala should have provided around four proposed sites for setting up the AIIMS, after which the Centre would have taken a decision. That is how AIIMS was set up in Kashmir,” he said.

Speaking about where AIIMS should be established, Suresh Gopi said he wanted the facility to come up in Alappuzha, where basic infrastructure and health facilities are in poor condition. He added that he has been raising this demand since 2015.

“But if not in Alappuzha, then it should come up in Thrissur, which is centrally located, does not have development-related bottlenecks, and has more breathing space,” said the Thrissur Lok Sabha MP.

“When I assured that AIIMS would come to Kerala, did I say it would come in 2026? If the state government starts preparations now, then AIIMS might become a reality in 2027 or 2028,” he added.

“Once the government indicates the proposed sites, there will be no hurdles in establishing an AIIMS in Kerala,” he asserted.

He also questioned why such demands and concerns were not raised during the Congress-led UPA government’s tenure at the Centre, when there were several ministers from Kerala.

During the press meet, Gopi also praised the Union Budget, saying it had been prepared with a long-term vision for what the country should be like in 2047.

He said that in view of political criticism of the budget, the central government has instructed MPs to inform people in all districts about its benefits.