KK Shailaja, the Kerala Minister for Health, said on Thursday that six government hospitals in the state have been granted Rs 74.45 crore for their development. This will pave the way to create major changes in the development of hospitals in the state, she added.
Rs 19.75 crore has been allotted to the Speciality Hospital at Pinarayi in Kannur, Rs 10 crore to the Tripunithura Taluk Hospital in Ernakulam, Rs 11.40 crore to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Kannur’s Aralam, Rs 10 crore to the CHC in Kollam’s Palathara, Rs 11.30 crore to the CHC in Kannur’s Irikkur and Rs 12 crore to the Taluk Hospital in Thrissur’s Irinjalakuda.
It is the LDF government which raised the Community Health Centre in Pinarayi to a speciality hospital, said the Minister in a statement. A new hospital building with five floors will be built with special oncology, tuberculosis and cardiac sections, she said. New outpatient rooms, medical intensive care units, surgical ICUs, an operation theatre and a conference hall are being built in Tripunithura Taluk Hospital. Kannur PHC will be upgraded to a Community Health Centre using the aid, the Minister added.
A five-floor building will be constructed at the Kollam and Kannur Community Health Centres. The statement also added that the second phase of construction will commence at the Irinjalakuda Taluk Hospital with the allotted funds.
International Institute of Advanced Virology inaugurated
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday inaugurated the operations of the first phase of the International Institute of Advanced Virology at the Life Science Park in Thonnakkal, Thiruvananthapuram.
The CM added that the institution will have world-class standards in the field of health research. "We were able to prevent Nipah and contain COVID-19 to an extent in Kerala because the state has a robust public health system,” the CM said.
He said the state needs institutions like the Institute of Advanced Virology to effectively prevent the health problems and new epidemics that Kerala faces, including lifestyle diseases. "We started the Institute to predict and prevent such diseases. The Institute will conduct research on various viruses, viral infections and review its clinical aspects," he said.
He also mentioned that the state had decided to set up a virology research centre in 2017, based on the suggestions of the world-renowned scientists Professor MV Pillai and Dr Sarangadharan.
(With inputs from PTI)
Watch video of new school buildings inaugurated by Kerala government: