Poor & nowhere to go

Every day 10,000 patients are treated and 323 surgeries conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the biggest hospital in the country.

Every day 10,000 patients are treated and 323 surgeries conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the biggest hospital in the country.

HT Image

Yet, it's not enough to clear the backlog of the many thousands who wait patiently for their turn to get treated and cured. They come with their families and friends, taking up the daily footfall to 50,000.

With the wait for elective (non-emergency) surgery ranging from a few days to two years, those with money rent rooms or go back home, if the wait for surgery is too long.

Those with no money have no option but to live in subways, under flyovers, on pavements, under trees — and some in unused urinals.