The Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare said in a written reply that the waiting time for surgery is different in different departments of AIIMS New Delhi. In some departments, patients do not have to wait.

Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is the country's largest and most famous hospital. Thousands of people from every corner of the country reach here for treatment every day. Whether the disease is small or big, there are long queues of patients in every department of AIIMS. Due to this, patients have to wait for months, sometimes even years, for some special surgeries. Recently, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav gave some important information about this in Parliament. 

These patients do not have to wait

He told that one may have to wait for about 2 years for surgery in two departments of AIIMS. These departments are neurosurgery and cardio-thoracic-vascular surgery. However, priority is given to serious patients so that their lives are not at risk. 

How long is the wait in which department?

The Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare said in a written reply that the waiting time for surgery is different in different departments of AIIMS New Delhi. In some departments, patients do not have to wait at all, while in some it may take a long time. For example, there is no waiting in departments like Ophthalmology (Eye), ENT (Nose-Ear-Throat), Pediatrics, Burns and Plastic Surgery, Urology and Dental Surgery. In these departments, patients get immediate surgery. At the same time, one may have to wait for about 2 months for general surgery.

There is more trouble in these departments

If we talk about the gynecology and cancer departments, there is a waiting period of about 3 months. In gastro-intestinal surgery, serious cases are given priority, but normal cases can take 3 to 6 months. The maximum waiting period is in neurosurgery and cardio-thoracic-vascular surgery. Here, surgery of serious and emergency cases is done immediately, but for normal or pre-planned surgery, patients may have to wait up to 2 years.

How many patients are waiting?

The minister also said that in some departments the number of patients waiting for surgery is very high. Let us know about them. 

• Cardio-thoracic-vascular surgery: 690 patients
• Neurosurgery: 1324 patients
• Surgical Oncology: 505 patients
• Cochlear implant surgery: 28 patients

It is clear from these figures that there is maximum rush in neurosurgery and cardio surgery, due to which the patients have to wait for a long time.

Relief to critically ill patients

There is some good news for patients suffering from serious diseases in AIIMS. According to the minister's reply, patients do not have to wait for more than a year in some such diseases. Patients suffering from heart disease are not given a waiting period of more than a year. Patients with last stage kidney disease, who have donors available, also do not have to wait much. There is no waiting period in liver related diseases that can be treated with surgery. However, the availability of donor is necessary for liver transplant.