The Union Cabinet on Friday extended an approval to the revised cost estimates (RCE) for establishing up six new All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-like institutions and upgrade of 13 Government medical college institutions under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) (Phase I) for an outlay of Rs. 9,307.62 crore.

Initially, the PMSSY was initiated in March, 2006 aimed at correcting regional differences in the availability of affordable and reliable tertiary healthcare services and also to the development of facilities for quality medical education in the country.

The allocation made for the PMSSY-Phase I projects for the XI Plan was Rs. 3955 crore, additional expenditure involved would be Rs. 5535.62 crore.

The new improved facilities in the existing medical colleges are revealed to extend the availability of tertiary health care facilities in and around the location and adjoining districts/States in the country.

The projects under Phase-I are includes 19 locations in the 16 States.

The new AIIMS-like institutions are located at Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Bhubaneswar (Orissa), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Patna (Bihar), Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and Rishikesh (Uttarakhand). These institutions are slated to conclude by 2012.