Kerala Health Minister says Centre blocks AIIMS over political bias

Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan says the Union government is deliberately refusing the state an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He made the remark after the Centre told the Kerala High Court that Kerala is not a priority state for AIIMS allocation because the scheme targets states whose health sector lags behind. Muraleedharan noted that the Centre has given different reasons at different times. During the previous government’s tenure, it claimed the land identified at Kozhikode was unsuitable. When the UDF came to power, the state warned that regional considerations should not deny Kerala an AIIMS. The Centre’s latest stance, however, does not mention location problems, leading Muraleedharan to allege political animosity. He added that in a meeting with the Union Health Minister, he received assurance that Kerala deserved an AIIMS and would be granted one. The minister’s comments suggest the state sees the refusal as a punitive move rather than a technical issue. ## Context The AIIMS programme is a central‑government initiative to set up high‑quality medical colleges in underserved regions; allocation decisions often involve assessments of a state’s health infrastructure and political negotiations.