New AIIMS cross 6 crore OPD consultations since 2021-22, expanding access to specialised tertiary healthcare across India

1. At a Glance

• New AIIMS set up under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) have handled over 6 crore OPD consultations since 2021-22, as on 31 October 2026 [1].
• The figure measures use, not just existence: OPD footfall shows how much people actually rely on these institutions [1].
• PMSSY is the Centre's main tool for correcting regional imbalances in tertiary healthcare and improving medical education [1][4].
• Why it matters for UPSC: it brings together health infrastructure, regional equity, human resources for health and the gap between approving a project and finishing it (GS-II and GS-III).

2. Why in the News

• A PIB release (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) reports that cumulative OPD consultations at new AIIMS have reached about 6.01 crore from 2021-22 to October 2026 [1].
• The same release says 22 new AIIMS are approved under PMSSY and 18 are fully functional [1].

3. Background & Evolution

• Origin: PMSSY was announced in August 2003 as a Central Sector Scheme. Its stated aims were to correct imbalances in the availability of tertiary healthcare and to improve the quality of medical education [4].
• Rationale: affordable, reliable tertiary care was concentrated in a few metros, so access depended on where a person lived [1][4].
• Milestones (chronological):
• Aug 2003: scheme announced [4].
• Phase I AIIMS: Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur and Rishikesh were functional by Feb 2021, with 16 more under construction. That made 22 sanctioned in total [2].
• AIIMS Kalyani (West Bengal): reported as functional in a Lok Sabha reply [5].
• Jul 2023: all 22 new AIIMS and 75 projects to upgrade Government Medical Colleges/Institutions (GMCIs) were "in various phases of implementation". AIIMS Mangalagiri was at the construction-completed stage [3].

• 2026: 18 of 22 are fully functional [1].

• Two parts of PMSSY: (i) setting up new AIIMS; (ii) upgrading existing GMCIs [3].

4. Core Static Facts

Item	Fact
Scheme	Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) [1]
Type	Central Sector Scheme (fully Centre-funded), not Centrally Sponsored [4]
Ministry	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare [1]
Announced	August 2003 [4]
Objectives	Correct regional imbalances in tertiary care; improve medical education [4]
New AIIMS approved	22 [1][2][5]
Fully functional (2026)	18 [1]
Fully functional (Feb 2021)	6, the Phase I institutes [2]
GMCI upgradation projects	75 [3]
Service range	OPD, IPD, emergency and trauma care, diagnostics, medical education (UG, PG, nursing), research [1]
Cumulative OPD, 2021-22 to Oct 2026	about 6.01 crore [1]
OPD 2021-22	50.03 lakh [1]
OPD 2025-26	144.96 lakh [1]
OPD 2026-27 (till Oct 2026)	97.41 lakh [1]

• Derived figure (my calculation from [1], not stated in the release): annual OPD rose about 2.9 times between 2021-22 and 2025-26.
• Key terms:
• Tertiary care: specialised, super-specialty care, usually on referral from lower levels [1].
• OPD: care without admission [1].
• IPD: care for admitted patients [1].
• Three-in-one model: patient care, education and research in one institution [1].

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Social / Equity

• Moves super-specialty care from a few metros to many regions, so access depends less on where a person lives [1][4].
• The steep rise in OPD numbers (50.03 lakh to 144.96 lakh a year) suggests there was unmet demand in the areas these AIIMS serve [1].
• Patients who no longer have to travel to Delhi or other metros save on travel, lodging and lost wages. This is an indirect cut in out-of-pocket spending.

Administrative / Implementation

• An approval does not mean the institution is working. Only 6 of 22 were functional in Feb 2021, and 18 of 22 are in 2026 [1][2].
• The 2023 status shows projects spread across construction, partly functional and fully functional stages [3].
• Bottlenecks commonly reported in parliamentary discussions include land handover by states, faculty recruitment and equipment procurement. Treat this as general context; it is not taken from the cited sources.

Human Resources for Health

• The new AIIMS train undergraduates, postgraduates and nurses, so they build infrastructure and health workforce together [1].
• The 75 GMCI upgradation projects add super-specialty capacity in existing state institutions [3].

Governance / Federalism

• As a Central Sector Scheme, PMSSY is fully Centre-funded, even though health is a State subject. It is an example of the Centre filling gaps in tertiary care [4].
• Using OPD footfall as a measure points towards outcome-based monitoring rather than just counting buildings [1].

Economic

• Tertiary hubs reduce pressure on overloaded metro institutions and support local health-related economic activity.
• Public capital spending on health infrastructure is a long-term investment in human capital.

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• As on 31 Oct 2026: new AIIMS crossed 6 crore cumulative OPD consultations since 2021-22 [1].
• 2026-27 (Apr–Oct 2026): 97.41 lakh OPD patients, already about two-thirds of the full-year 2025-26 figure [1].
• FY 2025-26: 144.96 lakh OPD consultations, the highest annual figure in the series [1].
• Status in 2026: 18 of 22 new AIIMS fully functional [1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• PMSSY was announced in August 2003 [4].
• PMSSY is a Central Sector Scheme, not a Centrally Sponsored Scheme [4].
• Nodal ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare [1].
• PMSSY has two parts: new AIIMS and upgradation of GMCIs [3].
• 22 new AIIMS are approved under PMSSY [1].
• 18 new AIIMS are fully functional (2026) [1].
• 75 GMCI upgradation projects were approved under PMSSY [3].
• The six Phase I AIIMS: Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur, Rishikesh [2].
• In Feb 2021 only 6 new AIIMS were functional and 16 were under construction [2].
• Cumulative OPD at new AIIMS since 2021-22 is about 6.01 crore (as on 31 Oct 2026) [1].
• OPD in 2021-22 was 50.03 lakh; in 2025-26 it was 144.96 lakh [1].
• AIIMS Mangalagiri was reported at the construction-completed stage in July 2023 [3].
• AIIMS Kalyani is in West Bengal [5].

8. What the 6 Crore Figure Does Not Tell Us

• Most of the rise comes from more AIIMS opening, not from more patients at each one
• In Feb 2021 only 6 new AIIMS were working [2]. By 2026, 18 are fully working [1].
• Rough check (my own calculation): 50.03 lakh OPD ÷ 6 AIIMS is about 8.3 lakh per AIIMS in 2021-22. 144.96 lakh ÷ 18 AIIMS is about 8.1 lakh per AIIMS in 2025-26 [1][2].

• So each AIIMS sees about the same number of patients as before. The growth comes from adding new institutes. This check is only rough, because some AIIMS were partly open in the years between.

• An OPD visit is not the same as treatment

• OPD counts people who were seen without being admitted [1]. Super-specialty care, such as surgery, cancer treatment and ICU care, needs a bed.
• The CAG found bed shortages of 43% to 84% in the six Phase I AIIMS. It also found that several of the 42 sanctioned departments were not working [6].

• So a patient can be seen in the OPD and still be sent to a metro hospital for the actual treatment. The OPD count would not show this.

• The release gives no measure of quality

• It gives no figures for waiting time, admissions, surgeries done or patients referred onwards [1].
• A high OPD count with too few doctors can mean longer queues, not better care. The next section shows that doctors are in short supply.

9. Why Buildings Came Up Before Doctors

• The new AIIMS were short of most of their staff
• The CAG audited the six Phase I AIIMS. Faculty posts (teaching doctors) were 55% to 83% short. Non-faculty posts (nurses, technicians and other staff) were 77% to 97% short [6].

• Because of these shortages, some departments could not run. The institutes also relied on outsourced contract staff [7].

• Why the posts stayed empty

• The CAG gave three reasons: recruitment rules were finalised late, posts got stuck in court cases, and there were not enough eligible candidates [7].

• The third reason is the hardest to fix. Every new AIIMS needs senior specialists who meet AIIMS standards. India has only a small number of them, so the new institutes compete with each other for the same doctors.

• What the government has tried

• Each new AIIMS now has a Standing Selection Committee (a hiring panel that keeps meeting through the year instead of once) [8].
• Doctors can also join on deputation (temporary transfer) from government colleges, and retired faculty can be hired on contract up to age 70 [8].
• The Ministry itself has said that some advertised posts stayed unfilled because the selection standards are high [8]. Rules alone cannot produce senior doctors quickly.

10. Where the Money Went Wrong in Phase I

• Delay made each AIIMS cost almost two and a half times as much
• In March 2006, each Phase I AIIMS was estimated at ₹332 crore. In March 2010, this was revised to ₹820 crore. That is a 145% rise [6].
• About 46.4% of the extra civil-works cost came from the cost index, which tracks how much building prices rose between 2003 and 2008. The rest came from changes in scope and items that were missed in the first plan [6].

• The CAG blamed both the late start after the 2003 announcement and weak planning [6].

• Equipment was bought but not used

• The six new AIIMS and the upgraded GMCIs ordered equipment worth ₹1,273 crore. Only ₹599 crore of it, about 47%, was actually in use [6].

• Equipment worth ₹454 crore was still not delivered after more than two years [6].

• There was no rulebook

• PMSSY had no operational guidelines (written rules on how to run the scheme). Key decisions were therefore made ad hoc, case by case [6].
• Public Sector Undertakings were hired as consultants on nomination, which means without open bidding. The CAG said this did not follow the GFRs (General Financial Rules, the government's rulebook for spending) [6].

• ₹830.81 crore was lying unspent with the executing agencies in March 2017 [6].

• The upgrade track had the same problems

• Only 8 of the 19 GMCIs audited had finished their upgrades [6].
• Some super-specialty blocks were built but could not open because they lacked equipment and staff. 19 of 41 planned facilities had not been upgraded [6].
• No criteria were fixed for choosing which GMCIs to upgrade, so the CAG called the selection arbitrary [6].
• Monitoring committees at the national, state and institute levels did not work, and GMCI monitoring was left to the colleges themselves [6].

11. What Should Change, and Who Should Do It

• The Health Ministry should publish more than OPD counts for each AIIMS
• For every AIIMS, it should report beds actually working, faculty posts filled against posts sanctioned, and equipment in use.
• This follows the CAG's advice to run evaluation studies alongside the scheme and use the lessons in later phases [6].

• Without these figures, a rising OPD count can hide empty posts and closed departments.

• The Ministry should write operational guidelines for PMSSY

• This was the CAG's first recommendation [6]. It would replace case-by-case decisions with fixed rules on choosing sites, hiring consultants and setting timelines.

• The Ministry should hire staff before or with construction, not after it

• Phase I had buildings and equipment ready while 55% to 83% of faculty posts were empty [6].
• The CAG asked the Ministry to coordinate works, equipment and staffing together, and to make monitoring at the state and institute levels actually work [6].

• The Standing Selection Committees in each new AIIMS are a step in this direction [8]. The four AIIMS that are still not fully working should get them before they open [1].

• The Ministry should fix responsibility for avoidable extra spending

• Poor contract management in Phase I cost ₹140.28 crore, including ₹39.96 crore of excess payments to contractors [6].
• The CAG asked that officials be held accountable when extra spending has no adequate justification [6].

12. Anchors for Answers

• Data: About 6.01 crore OPD consultations at new AIIMS, 2021-22 to Oct 2026; 18 of 22 fully working [1]
• Data: Phase I AIIMS cost rose from ₹332 crore to ₹820 crore each (145%); faculty shortage 55%–83%; only 47% of equipment ordered (by value) was in use [6]
• Report/Committee: CAG Performance Audit of PMSSY, Report No. 10 of 2018: no operational guidelines, delays of 4–5 years, ineffective monitoring committees [6][7]
• Law/Case: Seventh Schedule: health and hospitals are a State subject, yet PMSSY is a fully Centre-funded Central Sector Scheme [4]
• Scheme: Standing Selection Committees, deputation and hiring retired faculty up to age 70, the Ministry's answer to faculty shortages at new AIIMS [8]

13. Mains Relevance

• GS-II: issues relating to the development and management of social sectors and services relating to health and human resources; government policies and interventions.
• GS-III: infrastructure; inclusive growth.
• GS-I (secondary): regional disparities.
• Possible question stems: 1. The expansion of AIIMS under PMSSY seeks to address regional disparities in tertiary healthcare. Critically examine its progress and the gap between approval and operationalisation. (250 words) 2. Utilisation indicators such as OPD footfall are better measures of health infrastructure outcomes than the number of institutions sanctioned. Discuss with reference to the new AIIMS. (150 words) 3. Strengthening tertiary care without a matching primary and secondary care referral system risks overburdening premier institutions. Analyse. (250 words)

14. Related Topics to Study Next

• Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs): covers the financing and primary-care side of the same referral chain.
• National Health Policy, 2017: the policy framework for public health spending and tertiary care targets.
• National Medical Commission and the medical education reforms: links to the new AIIMS' role in building human resources for health.
• PM-ABHIM (Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission): infrastructure strengthening at district and block level, complementing PMSSY.
• AIIMS New Delhi and the idea of Institutions of National Importance: the parent model and its legal status.
• Out-of-pocket expenditure and National Health Accounts: the measurable equity outcome of better access.
• Central Sector vs Centrally Sponsored Schemes: a frequently tested fiscal-federalism distinction.
• Health as a State subject (Seventh Schedule): federal context for Centre-led tertiary institutions.

15. NCERT Concepts to Revise

• Centrally sponsored schemes (Economy): PMSSY is a fully Centre-funded Central Sector Scheme; this distinction is a frequently tested trap.
• Seventh Schedule (Polity): Health is a State subject, yet the Centre funds and runs AIIMS under PMSSY.
• Fiscal federalism (Economy): Explains why the Centre fully funds tertiary healthcare institutions in a subject that belongs to the states.
• Comptroller and Auditor General (Polity): CAG's audit exposed PMSSY's staff shortages, cost overruns, unused equipment and missing guidelines.
• Performance audit (Polity): The CAG report on PMSSY was a performance audit judging whether the scheme met its objectives efficiently.
• Public Accounts Committee (Polity): PAC Report No. 134 examined PMSSY and the CAG findings; useful for source-based questions.
• Out-of-pocket expenditure (Economy): Nearby tertiary care cuts travel, lodging and treatment costs, lowering what households pay directly.
• National Health Accounts (Economy): Official data source for tracking health spending and out-of-pocket costs, the measurable outcome of better access.
• Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY (Economy): Finances hospital care for poor families and works with AIIMS in the same referral chain.
• National Medical Commission (Polity): Regulates medical education, which new AIIMS expand by training undergraduates, postgraduates and nurses.
• Inclusive growth (Economy): Spreading tertiary care beyond metros supports broad-based, region-wide development, a GS-III theme.
• Human capital (Economy): Health infrastructure and trained health workers are long-term investments in people's productivity.
• Health expenditure (Economy): Public spending on curative care such as AIIMS builds a healthy labour supply.

16. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Approved vs functional: 22 is the number approved; 18 are fully functional. Do not say "22 functional AIIMS" [1].
• Scheme type: PMSSY is a Central Sector scheme, not Centrally Sponsored [4].
• Cumulative vs annual: 6.01 crore is the total for 2021-22 to Oct 2026, not one year's figure. The highest single year is 144.96 lakh, in 2025-26 [1].
• Year of origin: PMSSY was announced in 2003. Do not confuse it with Ayushman Bharat (2018) or the National Health Mission (2005–13).
• OPD vs IPD: the 6 crore figure counts OPD (non-admitted) consultations only, not admissions [1].
• Phase I list: Jodhpur, not Jaipur. Some secondary sources mislabel it [2].