Organ Transplant Institute proposed by CM.
Already inaugurated by LDF govt.
Claim made by leader George.
Former state Health Minister Veena George on Tuesday claimed that the Keralam Institute of Organ and Tissue Transplant announced by Chief Minister V D Satheesan had already been inaugurated by the LDF government in February this year.
Speaking to a TV channel, George said that she was surprised when she recently saw a report of Satheesan announcing the establishment of the institute in Kozhikode within 30 months.
"The thought that came to my mind was -- what a joke this is. This is the previous government's project. Its construction work was inaugurated by then CM Pinarayi Vijayan on February 7, 2026.
"The last government began considering the necessity of the project in 2022-23 and identified land for it in Kozhikode. Administrative approval for around Rs 643 crore was granted for the project and it was to be implemented through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB)," the CPI(M) leader said.
The CM had earlier announced, in this manner, a ship building project in connection with the Tata group, she added.
Satheesan, on October 3, had said that the institute, coming up on 20 acres of land at Chevayur Golf Link Road at a cost of Rs 271 crore, will have state-of-the-art facilities and with all services related to organ transplant surgeries being available under one roof, it will help to bring down the cost of treatment to one-third of the existing expenses.
The new hospital complex will have 350 beds and 10 operation theatres. A fully equipped skin disease hospital will also be constructed on the same campus at Chevayur at Rs 35 crore, he had said.
George claimed that the previous government had identified space in the Kozhikode government college for the institute to operate till its building was constructed, a special officer was appointed and 60 posts were created for it.
"A document was also framed by the previous government on how the institute should function," she said.
It was a major dream project for Keralam worth Rs 643 crore and it should not be cut short to Rs 271 crore, she contended.
