In the heart of Delhi, as the day’s shadows lengthen and the scorching heat gradually subsides, the AIIMS Metro station becomes an unusual refuge. It's a sanctuary for the weary, not of commuters heading home, but of patients and their attendants who have traveled from afar seeking treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Safdarjung Hospital. Many of these individuals are from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand, and have no choice but to sleep on pavements and in subways, bearing the brunt of Delhi's unforgiving summer heat.
A Harsh Reality
Amid the throng of people, a young woman leads a limping old man by hand, carrying a bag and a folded cardboard sheet. Elderly men, their clothes worn out, remove their plastic sandals to walk on the cooler Metro station floor. A teenage boy lends his shoulder to help an old woman walk, fatigue etched on their faces from a day spent in extreme heat.
As the sun sets, the AIIMS Metro station corridor fills with people who prepare to spend another night on the pavement outside. Temperatures have recently soared to a record-breaking 50 degrees Celsius, making their plight even more unbearable. Yet, these are not Delhi’s homeless. They are patients and their attendants who have come to the capital because there is no comparable public healthcare facility in their hometowns.
No Shelter, No Choice
Chandra Bhan, a 45-year-old laborer from Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, sits on the pavement with his few belongings scattered around him. His wife, Premvati, suffers from breast cancer and needs regular treatment at AIIMS. They met Veer Pal Singh, a 35-year-old farmer from Jalesar, Uttar Pradesh, in a similar predicament, outside the Metro station. “We don’t have enough money to rent a room, so we stay here. If we are lucky, we rest inside a corridor of the Metro station. Otherwise, we sleep on cardboard right here,” Bhan says. The cardboard is essential to insulate against the heat radiating from the pavement.
The crowded hospital lacks space for outpatient department (OPD) patients to stay, forcing many to sleep outside. “Nearly 20,000 patients, accompanied by their family members, walk into AIIMS for outpatient care every day,” says Dr. Nirupam Madan, AIIMS Medical Superintendent. The hospital admits around 2.8 lakh patients annually but has only 3,346 beds, leading to extensive waiting lists.
Insufficient Facilities
AIIMS is taking steps to address these challenges by creating four waiting halls with registration facilities and four vishram sadans (rest houses) for patient attendants, accommodating up to 557 people. However, Dr. Madan acknowledges that AIIMS can only do so much. “We are trying to rationalize dates for surgery to ensure planned operations are done on time with the least deferment. But there are factors beyond our control. Strengthening healthcare institutions across the country is essential so that people do not need to come to AIIMS Delhi.”
Living in Squalor
For many, this situation is a repetitive cycle. Bhan has been to AIIMS ten times in the last three months, and Premvati’s surgery, scheduled for February, has been delayed multiple times. Veer Pal’s wife, Ashoka Devi, faces similar delays in her radiation therapy. The men leave their children alone at home whenever they come to Delhi.
Basic necessities like bathing are also a challenge. Patients and their attendants often go to the Sulabh toilets at Safdarjung Hospital, paying Rs 50 for a bath and laundry. However, these facilities are inadequate, with limited running water and frequent closures due to insufficient water supply.
Surviving the Heat
Bibha Devi, 35, from Bihar, prefers sleeping on the pavement over the nearby subway due to suffocation in the latter. She, like many others, fears for her safety at night. Thieves and drug addicts roam the area, adding to their woes. Guddi and her husband, Nazrul Islam, from Shishgarh, Uttar Pradesh, have been living on the pavement for six days. “This heats up like boiling water and often keeps us awake at night,” Guddi says.
The Young and Vulnerable
Families with infants and young children also endure these harsh conditions. One mother, accompanying her husband and mother-in-law for treatment, says, “What is there to fear when we are fighting for life?” Another family from Madhubani, Bihar, struggles to keep their 12-year-old son, Om Ram, comfortable as he battles a tumor.
The Broader Issue
AIIMS has three dharamshalas and guest houses for patients and their relatives, but these are perpetually full due to high demand. The relatively low rates of Rs 20 to Rs 300 a day make these options unattainable for many.
The plight of these families highlights a broader issue within India’s healthcare system: the urgent need to strengthen healthcare facilities across the country. Until then, the pavements outside AIIMS and the corridors of the Metro station will remain a temporary, albeit harsh, refuge for those seeking medical care in the nation’s capital.
As Delhi’s summer continues to blaze, these men, women, and children endure the heat with little more than hope and resilience, waiting for the day when their suffering might finally end.
(Input from various media sources)
(Rehash/Krisha Shah/MSM)
