Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Goverment has decided to establish the Institute of Organ and Tissue Transplantation in its Kozhikode district. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the government aims to check the rampant exploitation in the organ transplant sector by the move, PTI reported.
The state Cabinet, chaired by the Chief Minister on Wednesday, approved the Rs 558.68 crore project to be set up in Kozhikode.
"With an estimated investment of Rs 558.68 crore, this initiative promises an affordable alternative for organ transplants, reinforcing Kerala's remarkable strides in public health and ensuring equitable access to advanced medical care for all," Vijayan said in a post on X.
He said the hospital will be established in two phases using KIIFB funds.
The government aims to build a 510-bed establishment in this regard, and it will set up 20 acres at Kozhikode's Chevayoor, The Hindu (TH) reports. The plan is for four blocks of six stories. The institute will house 219 general beds, 42 special ward beds, 58 intensive care unit beds, 83 high-dependency unit beds, 16 operating rooms, a dialysis centre, and a transplant research point. These will be completed in phases.
According to TH, there will be fourteen speciality divisions in the first phase and seven in the second phase. Academics will be an important part of the institute, and 31 academic courses are being planned, according to TH reports.