Kasaragod: What is the most shocking thing you've heard about Kasaragod Medical College? That three governments took 12 years and still could not fully build a medical college? That it still does not have a hospital block? That it does not have hostels? That the teaching hospital is nearly an hour away, double the maximum distance permitted by NMC regulations? Or that the previous contractor had to move court to recover unpaid bills from the government?

While presenting his maiden budget on Friday, June 19, Chief Minister V D Satheesan used a word to describe the condition of Kerala's new medical colleges: "pathetic". He was referring to the developing medical colleges in Kasaragod, Idukki, Wayanad and Manjeri.

But in Kasaragod, the consequences of that "pathetic" condition are felt more sharply than elsewhere because the district still lacks a tertiary-care hospital.

It is not one reason why the medical college is "pathetic". Take the academic block from where the first batch of 50 students has just completed its first year. Onmanorama has learned that the building does not have fire safety clearance. In fact, it has not even been formally handed over to the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) by KITCO Ltd, the government's implementing agency. "The DME made duplicate keys to throw the building open for the first batch of the medical college," said an official.

According to officials, the building was designed in 2013 and no longer complies with current fire safety regulations. Without formal possession of the building, staff say even minor modifications become difficult.

"We cannot officially request something as simple as an additional plug point or alterations to a restroom. We are facing a lot of practical difficulties," an official said.

But that is not the most astonishing part. The medical college does not have a mortuary. Worse, there is no mortuary in the master plan.

What happens to the cadavers used to teach anatomy? There is no burial ground for them either. Not even in the master plan.

The first batch of 50 students has already completed its first year and studied on at least five cadavers. "A cadaver is generally used for about a year before it is given a dignified burial. Under the Kerala Anatomy Act, medical colleges should have a designated burial ground for cadavers and there is a protocol to be followed," the official said.

If the problems were not enough, the government is piling more onto the college. The institution has barely started functioning, yet it is already being used as a punishment posting destination, the top official said. "First of all, transfer is not a punishment. Second, it is difficult to motivate people who arrive here on punishment transfer," he said. Such transfers also demoralise existing staff.

District in-charge minister K M Shaji has been informed about many of these issues.

Officials complain that while the government is not implementing key components of the master plan, it is simultaneously proposing new projects. "The nursing college is not part of the master plan, but it is being run from the medical college campus. A super-speciality block, which is essential for the institution to become a centre of excellence, is included in the master plan. Even its foundation stone has not been laid," said another faculty member.

A functioning hospital with super-speciality departments will be essential if the college is to secure approval for postgraduate courses. "PG courses provide a steady supply of resident doctors who actually run the wards. Patients get immediate attention. Without PG courses, both the quality of medical education and patient care suffer," another official said.

Meanwhile, work on the hospital block continues at a snail's pace.

ULCCS is handling the electromechanical works, including the installation of lifts. The cooperative won the contract for ₹23.33 crore in 2023. Officials said ULCCS hinted that it wanted the contract revised as the costs had escalated since 2023.

ULCCS's work was delayed because the government failed to clear the bills of the previous civil contractor, the Erode-based RR Thulasi Builders. The contractor eventually approached the High Court and secured payment orders in November 2025. The remaining civil works, including plastering and false ceilings, have since been awarded to Delhi-based Trilok and Associates for ₹41.23 crore.

Even as construction progresses slowly, staff are unhappy with plans to accommodate the women's and children's hospital within the same building.

"In modern medical colleges, women's and children's hospitals are housed in separate blocks because their requirements are different. That is the direction in which NMC norms are moving. The government should invest in a future-ready medical college instead of building another cramped institution," the faculty member said.

Such a facility could also improve eligibility for central funding, he added.

The hospital block includes some facilities for caregivers.

But officials contrast that with another announcement made by Satheesan in his budget: a proposed ₹100-crore integrated healthcare ecosystem that he said could become the largest medical destination in Asia. "Here, if a patient's caregiver wants to use a toilet, they will have to use the patient's toilet. If they want to sleep, they will have to sleep beside the patient's bed. There is no dedicated space for caregivers in the master plan," said a senior official.

The medical college also lacks an Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Centre for HIV/AIDS care in its master plan.

The DME is also proposing to house the administrative block within the same academic block that still lacks fire safety clearance. "As the medical college grows, both the academic and administrative wings will need much more space," an administrative official said.

At present, only a hostel for female students is under construction for residential requirements.

NMC regulations require hostels for male students, and for teaching and non-teaching staff to even get a sanction to start the MBBS course. It also requires a library, playground and auditorium. None of these is currently being built.

It has been nearly 13 years since the foundation stone was laid by former chief minister Oommen Chandy in November 2013.

Students, meanwhile, are asking for something far more basic.

The campus is located in an isolated area. There is not a single restaurant nearby. Yet the government has not even set up a canteen.

"You have come all the way to Ukkinadka, but we cannot offer you a cup of tea," a student said.

Their evening tea comes only when the bus takes them back to their hostel 25 km away in Cherkala.

To be sure, after acknowledging that the new colleges are pathetic, Satheesan allocated ₹100 crore for the four developing colleges and two proposed medical colleges. If divided equally, it comes to ₹16.66 crore each.

In the interim budget, his predecessor, K N Balagopal, allocated ₹57.09 crore for four newer medical colleges at Idukki, Konni, Wayanad and Kasaragod. It came to ₹14.77 crore. Both are mathematics.