Kerala Govt rejects plan to takeover DM WIMS

The decision came during a high-level meeting convened by the Chief Minister in the presence of ministers KK Shailaja and E Chandrasekharan, chief secretary Vishwas Mehta, health principal secretary Rajan Khobragade and law secretary PK Aravindababu on Thursday.

The DM WIMS medical college started its journey 10 years ago. DMERF founded the college and its associated institutions to help the residents of the Wayanad district. The medical college with 150 seat capacity has already graduated two batches of MBBS students. The entire institute has a 700-bed super-specialty hospital that helps the local community. It has a 100-bed hospital, nursing, and a pharmacy college associated with it and the campus stands upon a total built-up area of 14 lakh square feet.

In July 2020, the DM WIMS management had come forward with the proposal to hand over its colleges and associated infrastructure to the state government as it had been planning to set up a Government medical college in the district to help the local communities provide quality healthcare services.

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Dr. Azad Moopen, managing trustee of DMERF had reasoned out the proposal by explaining as quoted by TOI, "Another new medical college by the state government would require substantial investments and minimum another 5 years to be functional. We think that DM WIMS can cater to the requirement of the government. We think that it is important that we join hands with the government in providing support to the needy local population."

Dr. Moopen reportedly had promised to donate Rs 250 crore to the Kerala Government out of the total expenses incurred on DM WIMS Medical College and associated institutions.

The daily added that on the other, the government had in 2019 identified 50 acres, which was part of Chelod Estate near Vythiri, to set up the medical college but the move didn't make much headway. Though the foundation stone for the medical college was laid at the 50 acres given to the government by Chandraprabha Trust at Madakkimala in 2015, the project hit a hurdle following the 2018 floods after GSI said that construction cannot be carried out in the land.

With the proposal of DMERF, the Kerala Government formed a committee of seven members to study the feasibility of the proposal. The committee was constituted in July for conducting a study regarding infrastructure, equipment, and financial aspects of the medical college, hospital, and other institutions.

Following the submission of its findings, a meeting was convened by the Chief Minister on November 2 and the high power committee headed by the chief secretary was constituted to further examine the takeover.

Based on the findings of the high-power committee monitored by the Chief Secretary, the Government has now rejected the takeover proposal, reports TOI.

Dropping the previous proposal by DMERF, the government has termed the proposed plan as "impractical." Instead, it has now planned to set up its own government medical college in the Wayanad district.