Kochi Cancer Centre not in state's wishlist
In its wishlist to the Centre, the government has rooted for Kozhikode for setting up the AIIMS which is due for the state.
KOCHI: Even as the Chief Minister and his team of ministers presented a 19-point charter of development demands before Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Kochi on Saturday, the healthcare sector in the city felt let down with major demands for Central status for the Kochi Cancer Research Centre (KCRC) and AIIMS for Kochi not figuring in the list. The State government in its wishlist has rooted for Kozhikode for setting up the AIIMS which is due for the state from the Centre. Kochi too was in the race for the institute with ample land from HMT, but this was ignored by the present government.
However, in the case of cancer centre, no institute has been identified from the state for getting the Rs 2,000 crore national institute proposed by the Centre for south India. "We had been steadfastedly proposing KCRC for the national status and it is quite unfortunate that this was not proposed by the CM and his team of ministers before the Prime Minister. The RCC is already brimming at its seams and a national cancer institute at Kochi will be well-suited for people from all parts of the state because it is centrally located in the state," said Dr N.K. Sanil Kumar, volunteer of Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer Movement.
He said that the Movement had given prior representation to the CPM leadership and state government including the Minister and officials. "The Health Minister K.K. Shailaja held a meeting with officials in Kochi a day prior to the arrival of PM but this issue was never discussed which also points to the lackadaisical attitude of the government on the issue,” Dr Sanil Kumar said. He also said that a full-time special officer in place of already busy District Collector can change the fate of the cancer centre for the better.