In his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort, Prime Minster Atal Bihari Vajpayee promised six hospitals akin to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (aiims) in backward states of the country. He made this announcement under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, while admitting "people in underdeveloped states have to suffer due to the lack of good hospital services'. Recently, health minister Sushma Swaraj confidently declared that these medical facilities will be operational within three years. Though the foundation stones of two of these hospitals have already been laid