Bitter Cold Before Dawn
At around 4 a.m. outside the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi the temperature hovered in single digits as dozens of patients and their relatives lay wrapped in blankets in a subway and on pavements bracing themselves against the winter chill while awaiting medical appointments Many had arrived hours before sunrise in the hope of securing a place in the hospital queues
Bundled in layers of wool and thin blankets people from Madhya Pradesh Uttarakhand and other states endured the cold night due to long waiting times for specialty consultations and repeat follow ups
Waiting Long Struggling Longer
Among those waiting was a man with eye cancer who had been lying on the cold tiles for over a month because follow up treatment was essential but unavailable without repeated visits Others shared similar stories of financial strain repeated journeys and waiting outside due to limited appointment slots
One older woman barely able to withstand the chill whispered that people were dying of cold even after receiving donated blankets from strangers
Lack of Facilities Compounds Hardships
Basic necessities such as washrooms and bathing facilities were unavailable outside the hospital forcing patients to resort to paying for showers elsewhere or skipping them altogether One man explained he bathed once in fifteen days because of the expense and uncertainty of access
Relatives supporting patients struggled similarly often without access to shelter warmth or food during long waits that began well before the hospital gates opened at around 8 a.m.
A Cycle of Struggle and Survival
The report highlights a harsh truth those with financial means can plan multiple trips for treatment arriving just in time for appointments But those without money end up sleeping outdoors under underpasses or on nearby pavements waiting through cold nights time and again
A man in the queue shared that he had made similar trips multiple times in a month each time returning home only briefly before another appointment called him back
Morning Comes But Hardship Remains
As dawn approached and cleaning crews arrived patients folded thin blankets and packed belongings under the harsh instructions of workers A young girl still asleep until then was woken by the scraping broom The early morning queue forming outside unopened department gates was a stark reminder of the demand pressure on AIIMS public healthcare system
At nearly 7 degrees Celsius and before sunrise the scene outside AIIMS underscored how deeply winter worsens the plight of patients and caregivers forced to wait in extreme cold with little support a daily reality for many who depend on India’s largest public hospital for critical care
Why It Matters
This on the ground report from AIIMS Delhi highlights
- Public healthcare access challenges during winter
- Economic hardships forcing families into repeated journeys
- Lack of basic waiting facilities for out of station patients
- The human cost of essential healthcare gaps in India’s top medical facility
As winter tightens its grip and queues lengthen before dawn the struggles of patients and their families reflect a broader public health challenge that policymakers and healthcare administrators must urgently address
Read more Delhi Freezes Hardest In Years, Fog Swallows The City
