Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today inaugurated an air ambulance facility to cater to patients with urgent medical requirements, including organ transplant.

An MoU in this regard was signed between government-run Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology and Kerala Network for Organ Sharing ("Mrithasanjivini").

Speaking on the occasion, Chandy said his government's focus was on improving the facilities in health sector and make available the modern technology to common man.

State Health Minister V S Sivakumar said government would bear the expenses for transporting organ through air ambulance and an amount of Rs 5 crore has been earmarked for it.

Actual service would start in two months after acquiring the aircraft needed for it, State Minister in charge of airport and Excise K Babu said.

Last July, at Chandy's intervention, a Naval aircraft was used to ferry a heart harvested from a brain dead man here to a patient in Kochi.

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Meanwhile, Narayanasamy assured the House that he



would spare no efforts to install the statue offormer Puducherry Chief Minister P Shanmugham.

Replying to the question tabled by ruling Congress MLA A Theepaanjan, the Chief Minister said,"Although there was a ban on installation of statues in various public places, I will spare no efforts to get the concurrence of the Centre to erect statue of Shanmugham."



"The government would approach Centre to relax the ban and let the statue be erected' he added.