CM to lay foundation stone for organ transplant institute in Kozhikode on February 6

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will lay the foundation for the Kerala Institute of Organ and Tissue Transplant at Chevayur on February 7. The institute is coming up on a 20-acre plot on the premises of the Government Dermatology Hospital, Chevayur.

District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh told the media on Thursday (February 5) that the event would be held at 11.30 a.m. Health Minister Veena George would preside over it. Thottathil Raveendran, MLA, claimed that the institute was the first of its kind in the country. It would offer all the activities related to organ transplant under one roof, and the cost of treatment could be less.

Officials said that the project would be implemented in two phases, and the estimated cost for the first phase would be ₹299 crore. A sum of ₹99 crore had been set aside for purchasing equipment. The funds are being sourced from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board.

In the first phase, a 350-bed facility with an intensive care unit, dialysis centre, high dependency unit, and 10 operation theatres would be set up. The institute would have 14 speciality departments and divisions. It would also function as a training and research centre for doctors and paramedical staff in the transplantation sector. There was a plan to launch 31 academic courses as well, they added.