Published Oct 12, 2026 | 8:48 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 12, 2026 | 8:48 PM
K Muraleedharan. (X)
Synopsis: The contract for a single isolation ward was awarded at ₹1.31 crore, with ₹44.31 lakh allocated for equipment, bringing the total to nearly ₹1.76 crore per unit. Despite the expenditure, the minister said the completed buildings could not be used for inpatient treatment or as isolation wards.
Health Minister K. Muraleedharan on Monday, 12 October, said an expert team led by the Principal Secretary of the Health Department would investigate the construction of isolation wards across the state, after finding that even the completed buildings were unfit for patient care.
Responding to a submission by Congress MLA VP Sajendran in the Assembly, the minister said the project selected 88 health centres for its first phase. As of 9 October, only 33 isolation wards had been completed and handed over to hospital authorities.
KIIFCON was carrying out construction of 22 wards, originally undertaken by the Thrissur District Labour Contract Co-operative Society (TDLCCS) but left incomplete.
Another 28 wards were under construction, while five sites faced various hurdles.
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The project, sanctioned in July 2021 to establish 10-bed isolation wards to tackle pandemics and infectious diseases, had an estimated total cost of ₹250.69 crore.
The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) and the MLA Asset Development Fund were to share the funding equally.
The minister said the buildings suffered from serious construction defects and lacked essential facilities, including air-conditioning and toilets.
Electrical, plumbing and civil works remained incomplete even in buildings handed over to hospitals.
The sheet-roofed structures were dilapidated, with roofs too weak to support fans, making them unsuitable for Kerala’s conditions.
The contract for a single isolation ward was awarded at ₹1.31 crore, with ₹44.31 lakh allocated for equipment, bringing the total to nearly ₹1.76 crore per unit. Despite the expenditure, the minister said the completed buildings could not be used for inpatient treatment or as isolation wards.
Raising the issue, Sajendran alleged large-scale corruption in the project and demanded a Special Investigation Team probe, blacklisting of the agencies involved and action against officials responsible.
He also sought an investigation into former Health Minister Veena George’s role.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
