UDF Government Restarts Project a Decade After Foundation Stone Was Laid
KASARAGOD – In a significant development for the healthcare sector of Kerala’s northernmost district, construction work on the long-stalled Kasaragod Medical College Hospital finally resumed on Wednesday, May 13. The project, which had remained frozen for the past four years, has now returned to the hands of the Congress-led UDF government—the same administration that originally launched the initiative in November 2013.
The restart follows years of public outcry, social media campaigns, and intense political scrutiny over the unfinished 500-bed hospital block at Ukkinadka in Badiadka panchayat. Often derided by locals as a “ghost building,” the project became a symbol of administrative delay under the previous LDF government, which faced sharp criticism for failing to complete the district’s most vital healthcare infrastructure during its two terms in power.
A technical team from the Directorate of Medical Education (DME), led by K. Sreekandan Nair, arrived from Thiruvananthapuram to mediate and resolve long-standing disputes between contractors. “The differences between the civil and MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) contractors have been sorted out, and work is officially back on track,” Nair confirmed.
The newly elected Kasaragod MLA, Kallatra Mahin of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), visited the site alongside the technical team. Mahin attributed the decade-long delay to a “lack of intent” by the previous administration, pledging that the completion of the hospital would be one of his primary legislative priorities.
The project’s timeline has been marred by financial and logistical hurdles. Work ground to a halt in 2022 when the government failed to clear the dues of Erode-based RR Thulasi Builders. Although the MEP contract was awarded to Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society (ULCCS) in early 2023, progress remained non-existent due to unpaid bills and subsequent disagreements over work sequencing with the new civil contractor, Delhi-based Trilok & Associates.
Trilok & Associates, who secured the remaining civil and finishing works for ₹45 crore in March 2026, are now expected to complete the block within a one-year deadline. However, even if the building is finished by 2027, a fully operational tertiary care facility remains years away. Officials estimate the hospital may only become functional by 2028, aligning with the clinical requirements of the first batch of MBBS students who were admitted in October 2025.
Currently, Kasaragod remains the only district in Kerala without a functional government tertiary care hospital, a void that forces thousands of residents to seek emergency and specialized medical aid in Mangaluru, Karnataka. While the academic block and a nursing college are operational, the campus lacks critical infrastructure, including staff quarters and hostels. The current MBBS batch is forced to travel nearly an hour to the Kasaragod General Hospital for clinical training, a situation that challenges National Medical Commission (NMC) norms.
With 22 more structures yet to be built on the 67-acre campus, the resumption of work on the main hospital block is a vital, albeit belated, step toward ending Kasaragod’s decades-long healthcare crisis.
