Thiruvananthapuram: Citing a financial crisis, the government has made significant cuts to the planned allocation for medical colleges. Of the ₹401.24 crore allocated in the previous financial year’s budget to upgrade basic infrastructure and treatment systems, ₹146.89 crore was slashed. As a result, only ₹254.35 crore was finally sanctioned. The severe reduction in funding is believed to be a key factor behind the ongoing crisis faced by medical colleges across the state.

Development projects stalled

Several critical projects have been put on hold due to the budget cuts, including:

  • Introduction of Sports Medicine, Molecular Diagnostic Facilities, Oncology and Tertiary Care Centres, and Surgical Robots in medical colleges.
  • Expansion of services such as bone marrow transplantation, pain and palliative care, and trauma care units.

Health department also faces reductions

The Health Department has also seen its budget shrink. Of the ₹152.13 crore originally allocated, ₹62.11 crore was withdrawn, leaving only ₹90.02 crore available. The ₹30 lakh earmarked for blood banks was reduced to ₹15 lakh, severely impacting the functioning of institutions ranging from district and general hospitals to primary health centres.

Cancer centres’ budgets slashed

Funding cuts have extended to regional cancer treatment centres as well:

  • The Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cancer Centre's allocation was halved, from ₹73 crore to ₹36.5 crore.
  • Malabar Cancer Centre’s budget was reduced from ₹26 crore to ₹14 crore.
  • Kochi Cancer Research Centre saw a cut from ₹14.5 crore to ₹9.3 crore.