Wait-time for planned surgeries at AIIMS Delhi extend up to 2 years, says Centre

New Delhi: The general waiting period for planned surgical procedures at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, may extend up to two years due to the heavy patient load, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav, recently informed the Rajya Sabha.

However, patients undergoing critical treatment in the Department of Ophthalmology, ENT, Paediatrics, Burns & Plastic, Urology and Dental are not facing any waiting period for surgery.

On the other hand, the waiting period in General Surgery is up to two months, while in Gynaecology, for critical malignancy cases, the waiting period can be up to three months. For Gastrointestinal surgeries, critical cases are prioritised, but the maximum waiting time can range from three to six months.

According to the data shared by the Minister, critical and emergency cases in Cardio-Thoracic-Vascular Surgery and Neurosurgery are operated on as and when required.

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Jadhav was responding to questions raised by Parliament member Shri Ramji Lal Suman, who sought to know whether patients undergoing critical treatment at AIIMS, New Delhi, are facing long waiting periods for surgeries, the number of patients who have deposited the requisite amount for surgery but whose surgeries are still pending, and the number of patients suffering from heart, kidney, and liver diseases who have been given surgery dates exceeding one year.

In his reply, the Minister stated that the number of patients currently awaiting surgery is 690 for Cardio-Thoracic-Vascular Surgery, 1,324 for Neurosurgery, 305 for Surgical Oncology, and 28 for Cochlear Implant surgery.

He further clarified that no patients with heart conditions have been given surgery dates extending beyond one year. Similarly, no patients with end-stage kidney disease who have a renal donor have been scheduled for surgery beyond a year.

"There is no waiting period for surgeries of re-settable liver diseases. In cases of liver transplant, surgeries are dependent upon availability of donors," he added.

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