The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) was approved in March 2006. It aims at correcting the imbalances in availability of affordable/reliable tertiary level healthcare in the country in general and augmenting facilities for quality medical education in the under-served States.

The scheme, which would be implemented by 2009-10, envisages setting up six institutions like the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), one each in the States of Bihar (Patna), Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal), Orissa (Bhubaneshwar), Rajasthan (Jodhpur), Chhattisgarh (Raipur) and Uttaranchal (Rishikesh); and upgradation of 13 existing medical institutions.