Pathanamthitta, 06 Oct (H.S.):Former Kerala Health Minister Veena George has challenged Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan’s announcement of an organ transplant institute in Kozhikode, saying the previous LDF government had already launched the project and initiated arrangements for its functioning.

In an interview, George said she found the announcement that the institute would be established within 30 months amusing, as it was among the previous government’s flagship projects.

According to her, former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated construction of the Kerala Institute of Organ and Tissue Transplant on February 7, 2026.

The project’s necessity was discussed during 2022–23, and land was identified at Chevayur in Kozhikode, she said. Administrative approval for approximately Rs 643 crore was granted, with implementation envisaged through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).

Satheesan had announced a transplant hospital complex on 20 acres along Golf Link Road at Chevayur, costing Rs 271 crore. The proposed facility would have 350 beds and 10 operating theatres.

He also announced a dermatology hospital costing Rs 35 crore at the same location, saying the institute would bring all organ transplant services under one roof and reduce treatment costs to a third.

George, however, said the LDF government had already identified space at Kozhikode Government Medical College for preliminary operations until the institute’s own building was completed.

It had also appointed a special officer, created 60 posts and prepared detailed guidelines governing the institution’s functioning, she said.

Taking a swipe at Satheesan, George compared the announcement to his earlier declaration concerning a shipbuilding project linked to the Tata Group.

She urged the government to retain the project’s scale, arguing that an institution conceived with an outlay of Rs 643 crore would be a major asset for Kerala.

The ambitious proposal should not be reduced to a Rs 271 crore project, she said.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman