Parliament Question: Poor Public Health Infrastructure in Kerala

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 1295 TO BE ANSWERED ON06.02.2026 POORPUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE IN KERALA

1295. SHRIRAJMOHAN UNNITHAN:

Will the Ministerof HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate:

(a) whether the Government is aware that Kasaragod district continues to face serious public health infrastructure deficiencies, forcing patients to travel long distances or dependonprivate hospitals inneighbouring States,if so, the detailsthereof;

(b) whether it isa fact that criticallyill patients, including endosulfan-affectedpersons, face severe hardship due to the lack of tertiary and super-speciality care facilities within the district, if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government has assessed the regional imbalance in advanced healthcare availabilityin Northern Kerala,if so, the detailsthereof;

(d) whether any proposal for establishing a central-level medical institution or upgrading existing facilities inKasaragod hasbeenexamined,if so, the detailsthereof; and

(e) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to ensure equitable access to qualityhealthcare for geographicallyisolated districts of the country? ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE (SHRIPRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a) to (e): The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provides technical and financial support to the States/UTs including Kerala to strengthen the public healthcare system, based on the proposals received in the form of Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) under National HealthMission. Government of India provides approval for the proposal inthe form of Recordof Proceedings(RoPs) asper norms& availableresources. Detailsof the approvalsgiven for the strengthening healthcare in rural areas of the country are available at website of Ministry of HealthandFamily Welfareat the Uniform Resources Locator(URL) asunder:

https://nhm.gov.in/index1.php?lang=1&level=1&sublinkid=1377&lid=744 Further, teleconsultation services are available at all operational AAMs across the country including rural areas, enables people to access the specialist services closer to their homes addressing concerns of physical accessibility, shortage of service providers and to facilitatecontinuum of care.

Also, Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) are supported under NHM to provide outreach services in remote villages with difficult terrain which are underserved and inaccessible. As per NHM-MIS report, a total of 1477 MMUs have been deployed across the country, as on

30.06.2025.

PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) envisages increased investments in public health and other health reforms to provide better access to health in rural areas. Administrative approvals have been accorded to the State of Kerala for five years (i.e. FY 2021-22 to 2025-2026) for an amount of Rs. 404.63 Cr. for construction/ strengthening of 14 IPHLs at District level and 14 CCBs at District Hospitals and Medical collegelevel.

Also, one (01) Integrated Public Health Labs (IPHL) and one (01) Critical Care Blocks(CCB) have beenaccordedto the district of Kasargodinthe FY2023-24.

Under Fifteenth Finance Commission (FC-XV) for the State of Kerala, Rs.2958.02 Crore has been approved for the five year period from FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26 and Rs.

2310.96 Cr. has been released so far for establishment and strengthening of 1205 Building less SHCs, 116 Building less PHCs, 41 Building less CHCs, 152 Block Public Health Units, and380 Urban- AAMs.

The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) aims at correcting regional imbalances in the availability of affordable tertiary healthcare services and to augment facilities for quality medical education in the country. Under the Scheme approvals has been accorded for upgradation of four Government Medical Colleges/ Institutions

(GMCIs) at for the Stateof Kerala. Detailsare asunder:State No. Name of GMC/ Institute Approved Infrastructure Kerala 1. Medical College, SuperSpeciality Thiruvananthapuram Block

2. Kozhikode Medical Trauma Care Centre with College Super SpecialityBlock

3. T.D. Medical College, Super SpecialityBlock Alappuzha

4. SCTIMST, Trivandrum Super SpecialityBlock *****