Planning a surgery at AIIMS? Be ready for 2-yr waiting period

India’s top tertiary care central government hospital, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, is reeling under a massive rush of elective surgeries.

The hospital, an institute of national importance, has reported an average waiting time of as many as two years for a planned procedure. The government this week informed Parliament that the general waiting period for planned procedures at AIIMS can be up to two years due to heavy patient load.

On any given day, AIIMS handles nearly 7,500 patients in its outpatient segment and over 500 in emergency.

The Health Ministry has informed Parliament that the number of patients waiting to be operated in AIIMS are 690 for cardiothoracic vascular surgery, 1,324 for neurosurgery, 305 for surgical oncology and 28 for cochlear implant surgery. As far as cardiac procedures are concerned, the government has stated that no AIIMS patient with a heart condition has been given a surgery date exceeding one year.

What are elective (planned surgeries)

Elective surgeries are planned medical procedures that are not considered emergencies and can be scheduled in advance. They address non-life-threatening conditions and seek to improve quality of life. While some elective surgeries are optional, others are necessary but not time-sensitive. However, postponement of expected benefits of treatment means patients continue living with pain and disability for longer than they need to and this may worsen health outcomes for patients after the intervention.

“No patients with end stage of kidney disease who has a renal donor has been given dates exceeding one year. Also there is no waiting period for surgeries of re-settable liver diseases,” the ministry said in written answers shared in Parliament.

In the case of liver transplants, the Ministry of Health has stated that surgeries depend on the availability of donors. Departments where surgeries are prioritised and there is no waiting period include ophthalmology, ENT, paediatrics, burns and plastic surgery, urology and dental care for patients undergoing critical treatment. But in other departments patients have to wait to be operated on.

At AIIMS, the waiting period for general surgery is up to two months. In gynaecology, data shows that for critical malignancy cases, the wait can be up to three months. For gastrointestinal surgeries, critical cases are prioritised, but non-urgent patients may face a waiting period of three to six months. In cardiothoracic vascular surgery and neurosurgery, critical and emergency cases are operated on as and when required, according to the government.