Kerala CM flags high transplant costs, lays foundation stone for state-run institute

Kozhikode (Kerala): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday expressed concern over the exorbitant costs charged by private hospitals for organ transplantation and assured the time-bound completion of a proposed state-run facility in the sector.

Different private hospitals charge varying amounts for the same treatment, making it unaffordable for ordinary people, he said.

The chief minister was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone for the Kerala Institute of Organ and Tissue Transplant (KIOTT) at Chevayoor in this northern district.

The KIOTT is envisaged to provide advanced organ transplant surgeries that are affordable and accessible to ordinary people.

Vijayan said Kerala has been showcasing several exemplary initiatives in the health sector, and the setting up of KIOTT would be another such example.

He noted that the high costs charged by private hospitals for organ transplantation are unaffordable for common people in the state.

When experts suggested setting up an exclusive state-run facility in this regard, the government gave its nod and wanted the institution to become a reality at the earliest, he said.

Vijayan also assured that the construction of the institution would be completed in a time-bound manner.

In a social media post on Friday, he noted that nearly 90 per cent of organ transplant surgeries in the country are currently carried out in the private sector, making them unaffordable for common people due to high treatment costs.

The CM said KIOTT, a world-class public-sector facility, would provide treatment at nearly one-third of the cost charged by private hospitals and described it as the first comprehensive organ transplant institute in the public sector in India.

He added that the institute is being designed with state-of-the-art facilities comparable to similar centres in the US and China, and that such a large, integrated centre dedicated exclusively to organ transplantation would be only the third of its kind in the world.

Calling it a "matter of pride" for Kerala, Vijayan said complex organ transplant surgeries, including kidney, liver, heart, lung and cornea transplants, will be available under one roof at the institute.

The Rs 525-crore project is being implemented with financial assistance from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), with Rs 99 crore earmarked exclusively for advanced medical equipment, he said.

In the social media post, Vijayan also said that KIOTT would serve as an international-standard centre for advanced research in organ transplantation and for training medical professionals.