The Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) has launched a campaign to drum up support for establishing the proposed All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Thiruvananthapuram.
Besides launching a series of consultations involving all stakeholders, TCCI hopes to seek the support of MLAs and MPs to urge the State government to set up the premier institution in the State capital.
Following a meeting of professional and trade bodies in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, the chamber called upon the government to leave it to an expert committee constituted by the Central government to zero in on a location fit for establishing AIIMS in the State instead of suggesting a particular location.
“Establishing AIIMS in Thiruvananthapuram which has a robust and thriving ecosystem that includes medical institutes like the oldest government medical college, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Regional Cancer Centre, Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, Indian Institute of Diabetes and Chest Diseases Hospital will benefit the entire State. Research and development institutions across various other disciplines like the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Institute of Advanced Virology and Medical Devices Park will complete the ecosystem,” TCCI president S.N. Raghuchandran Nair said.
He opined that the Nettukaltheri where there were over 200 acres of unused land would be an ideal choice for setting up the AIIMS.
The State had earlier submitted a list of four locations for setting up AIIMS in Kerala. Besides Nettukaltheri, the other proposed localities include Kinalur in Kozhikode, Kottayam and Kalamassery.
Representatives of non-governmental organisations, TCCI, Awake Trivandrum, Trivandrum Agenda Task Force, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI), Builders’ Association of India, Trivandrum Indian, various political parties, social media groups and professional bodies took part in the meeting held here.
