Thiruvananthapuram: Declaring healthcare as the topmost priority of the state, Chief Minister V D Satheesan rolled out a massive, comprehensive medical roadmap in his maiden budget presentation. A total of ₹2,076.02 crore has been earmarked for medical treatment and the public health sector. To protect families from unexpected medical expenses that lead to severe financial distress, the Chief Minister announced the historic Free Oommen Chandy Health Insurance Scheme, guaranteeing an unprecedented ₹25 lakh coverage per family. This mega-welfare scheme is introduced as part of the Indira Guarantee, with an initial allocation of ₹10 crore sanctioned for its immediate preliminary expenses.

 

Revamping medical colleges and establishing new hubs

The government plans to directly intervene to lower the high cost of medical treatments across Kerala. Noting the substandard conditions of the Kasaragod, Idukki and Manjeri Medical Colleges, the budget promises immediate action to upgrade their infrastructure, staff strength, and equipment.
In addition, the second medical college in Thiruvananthapuram will be made fully operational, and a brand-new Medical College will be established in Haripad. A dedicated fund of ₹100 crore has been set aside for these medical college initiatives. Selected medical colleges will also be granted autonomous status and provided support to match AIIMS standards in service and academic excellence.

 

Kerala Health and Life Sciences City and Reach Kerala

To put the state on the international medical map, the Kerala Health and Life Sciences City was announced with a ₹100 crore allocation. This flagship facility will seamlessly integrate multi-speciality hospitals, medical colleges, training institutes, research labs, diagnostic centres and rehabilitation units alongside bystander facilities. To promote medical tourism, the government will also roll out the Reach Kerala project, positioning the state as a top global healthcare destination.

 

Special care for the elderly: India’s first department for senior citizens

Kerala has become the first state in India to set up a dedicated Department for Senior Citizens, backed by an initial budget of ₹10 crore. Under this department, a specialised Care Giver Scheme will be launched. Government-approved, international-standard, 6-month caregiver certificate courses will be introduced in government and private nursing colleges, providing certified training to help those with chronic illnesses and disabilities, while creating new jobs for the youth. Furthermore, elderly fitness centres, day-care homes (Pakal Veedukal), and senior citizen parks will be built to keep the elderly active.

 

Emergency, preventive and rural care initiatives

  • Golden Hour Project: A fully digitised, coordinated network of health institutions will be introduced to ensure emergency trauma care is delivered in the shortest possible window.
  • Mobile testing and labs: To combat rising cancer rates and aid early diagnosis, 10 mobile testing labs will be rolled out in rural areas lacking diagnostic facilities in the first phase, backed by a ₹20 crore allocation. New water-testing labs will also be opened to prevent waterborne diseases.
  • Targeted outreach: Special Tribal Health Clusters will be formed for the tribal population, and Coastal Care Units will be deployed for fishing communities to ensure targeted medical delivery.
  • Health checks for 40 plus: A new financial assistance scheme will be designed to support annual health check-ups for citizens aged above 40. The government also promised to clear the pending arrears of the Karunya Health Scheme in a phased manner.

Lifesaving medicines, lifestyle diseases and mental health support

The state will take proactive steps to ensure the availability of medicines for rare conditions like Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). For juvenile health, the government will provide high-quality insulin to Type-1 diabetic children, insulin pumps for brittle diabetic children and continuous glucose monitoring sensors for highly vulnerable kids. Financial assistance will be given to manufacture insulin pumps indigenously, and the existing Mittayi Project will be modernised. Addressing the spike in mental health issues triggered by financial and domestic crises, the government will also deploy professional social workers for community counselling.

 

Regional medical packages and school welfare

 

The budget has earmarked specific regional packages including

  • ₹5 crore for preliminary works to upgrade the Malappuram Taluk Hospital into a Super Speciality General Hospital.
     
  •  ₹10 crore for the initial setup of a modern Cancer Centre in Malappuram.
     
  • ₹10 crore for the comprehensive modernization of the Ernakulam Medical College. 
     
  • School health brigade and girls-friendly campuses: A dedicated School Health Brigade will be formed. Campus hygiene will be upgraded to become girl-friendly by guaranteeing the availability of free sanitary napkins, creating eco-friendly napkin disposal systems and maintaining clean school toilets.