Thiruvananthapuram: Health Minister Veena George announced that Kerala is set to witness a major expansion of its healthcare infrastructure, with projects worth over Rs 1,800 crore scheduled to be launched across the state this month. These initiatives aim to enhance access to quality medical care, advanced treatment, and research facilities. According to the news reports, among the flagship projects is the Institute of Organ Transplantation at Kozhikode, for which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will lay the foundation stone. The Rs 643.88-crore institute has been envisioned as a Centre of Excellence that will function as a single umbrella for all organ transplant-related activities, including treatment, surgeries, post-transplant care, research, and training. Initially, the institute will function as a wing of the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital, before being shifted to a dedicated building. The government has already sanctioned 60 posts for the centre.Also Read:Rs 643.88 crore approved for Kozhikode Institute of Organ TransplantationCancer care infrastructure in the State is also set to receive a major boost with the Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC), constructed at Rs 387 crore, which will be formally inaugurated by the Chief Minister on February 9. Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, the centre is expected to transform cancer diagnosis, treatment, research, and management in central Kerala.The second phase of development of the Kerala State Homoeopathic Cooperative Pharmacy Ltd. (HOMCO) at Alappuzha will be launched on February 13. Completed at a cost of Rs 109.82 crore, the expansion includes a new factory for the production of homoeopathic tablets and ointments.
The new surgical block at Kottayam Government Medical College Hospital, built at Rs 257 crore, will be inaugurated on February 16. The eight-storey building will feature 526 beds, 14 operating theatres, 44 ICU beds, and 12 isolation beds. Advanced medical equipment worth Rs 115 crore has also been installed, significantly enhancing surgical and critical care capacity. The International Research Institute of Ayurveda (IRIA), established on 300 acres in Kannur, is another mega project that will be dedicated to the people on February 20. The first phase of the project has been completed at Rs 200 crore. With a 100-bed hospital, manuscript study centre, medicinal plants garden, and a research centre, the IRIA would be the State’s pioneering effort towards evidence-based Ayurveda research, reports the Hindu.Also Read:Rs 6.12 crore speciality hospital to be built at Nilakkal for PilgrimsThe month-long rollout will conclude with the inauguration of a new 14-storey building at the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), Thiruvananthapuram, on February 23. Constructed at a cost of Rs 242.42 crore and spread across 30,680 square metres, the facility is expected to ease the severe space constraints faced by the RCC.
