Rahul Gandhi praises healthcare in Kerala

Malappuram: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hailed the healthcare and palliative care in Kerala as one of the best in the country.

Gandhi said that Kerala was a pioneer in palliative care in the whole country.

"It leads the way as far as healthcare and palliative care is concerned," he added.

He also said that he was pleased with the level of community participation in Kerala when it comes to healthcare and education.

The Congress MP's praise for Kerala's healthcare system came while speaking after laying the foundation stone of the Pain and Palliative Care Society building in Thiruvali here.

Gandhi expressed hope that the palliative care centre would be "a small step in taking forward the community healthcare vision of the state".

He said he was ready to help in any way he could, but the funds he got as an MP were limited and had to be distributed carefully.

Gandhi also reiterated that Wayanad was like a second home to him and when he goes there it feels like he is going back to his family.

Earlier in the day, at the release of a book on the late Muslim League leader P Seethi Haji here, Gandhi said that Kerala and the hill constituency of Wayanad were like a home to him.

"I consider it like coming back to my family and meeting my friends. The more I come to Kerala and Wayanad, the more I feel that it is my home," the Congress MP from Wayanad stated.

At the foundation stone laying ceremony, he said that he sees Kerala and Wayanad "as one big extended family" and said that his next plan was to bring his mother -- Sonia Gandhi -- to the southern state.

He also praised the "spirit of togetherness and unity" in Kerala as well as its history, culture and respect for different religions, communities and ideas. "So, I am always learning something new when I come here," he said.