15,000 Patients A Day, Long Waits For Some: Delhi AIIMS' Capacity Under Strain

AIIMS Delhi sees an average Outpatient Department (OPD) footfall of 14,000-15,000 patients a day, putting an enormous demand on one of the country's key public hospitals."The footfall is 14,000-15,000 on average. The patient footfall is more on Mondays and Thursdays. It's not the same everyday but this is the average," a senior doctor said.The scale of this footfall is also reflected in the long waits that patients, particularly those who cannot afford private healthcare, often have to navigate. For them, subsidised treatment at AIIMS can make the difference between getting specialised care and going without it.The capacity crunch at Delhi AIIMS, one of the premier hospitals of the country, comes into focus after the death of 15-year-old Tanvi from Rajasthan on Tuesday. Her parents alleged that the date of her surgery for a congenital heart defect kept changing and that the procedure was never performed.