AIIMS Not Allotted to Karnataka: Govt Slams Centre for Adopting 'Step-Motherly Attitude'

Bengaluru: Karnataka Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil criticized the Central government on Monday for what he described as a biased approach towards the state regarding the establishment of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the upgrading of existing government medical colleges.

He said the Centre was not responding to the state government’s repeated requests to set up the premier medical institution in Raichur district.

According to a PTI report, “All the states in India have got AIIMS except for Karnataka and Kerala. The Centre has to decide. This is a step-motherly attitude towards Karnataka,” Patil said responding to a question raised by JD(S) member K A Thippeswamy in the Legislative Council.

Patil dismissed the allegation and said he and Minister for Science and Technology N S Boseraju had met the then Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and requested for establishing an AIIMS in the State.

He said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and even personally handed over the request letter to sanction AIIMS but to no avail.

The Minister said the state government has identified land for AIIMS in Raichur and is ready to provide "whatever is required" to set it up, news agency PTI reported.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is set to inaugurate a specialized daycare centre for beneficiaries of the Employees Health Scheme (EHS) at the National Centre for Ageing. The facility, scheduled to commence operations on July 31, will be available daily from 8 AM to 8 PM.