New Delhi

Nominated Rajya Sabha member Sudha Murty on Monday urged the Centre to establish an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Raichur district, citing decades of underdevelopment and weak healthcare infrastructure in north Karnataka.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Murty said that while AIIMS institutions had been set up in several states, Karnataka was yet to receive one.

“I am not asking for it to be set up in Hubballi or Bengaluru but in Raichur district,” she said.

Murty said Raichur is among the most backward districts identified by NITI Aayog and noted that north Karnataka had remained neglected for more than 260 years, unlike southern Karnataka which developed under the Wadiyar dynasty.

She said the region lacked adequate hospital infrastructure, forcing many patients to travel to Hyderabad or Bengaluru for treatment.

“The poor people there spend more on healthcare than those living in big cities like Bengaluru,” she said.

Murty also highlighted low literacy rates in the district, noting that female literacy is about 48 per cent while male literacy stands at around 60 per cent.

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She said establishing an AIIMS in Raichur would improve healthcare access in the region while also creating employment opportunities and boosting student enrolment.