Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash Patil
Credit: DH Pool Photo
Hubballi: Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash Patil says centre is creating confusion over the establishment of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Karnataka.
The minister was responding to a written reply by Minister of State for Minister of Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav in Lok Sabha to a question raised by Congress MPs E Tukaram and G Kumar Naik in Lok Sabha recently. The reply states that AIIMS is not approved for Karnataka in the eighth phase.
Speaking to DH, Patil said every time he interacts with the Union Health Ministry, they assure of setting up the premium health institute in the State. However, while replying in parliament the Union government says AIIMS isn’t approved to State Under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
“Karnataka is among the very few States that do not have AIIMS,” he says. There are 22 AIIMS across India and an AIIMS in Karnataka was first proposed in 2022.
“Congress government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has made it clear that Raichur is the only place where AIIMS has to be established. However, central government officials have visited other places. Our cabinet decision is to establish it in Raichur. We are hopeful of getting it soon,” he says.
The members of Raichur District AIIMS Horata Samithi have been staging a protest for the last 1184 days demanding the institute in one of the most backward districts of the State to improve the quality of medical facilities in the Kalyana Karnataka region.