To see a doctor at AIIMS, first survive the wait in Delhi’s toxic air

“My husband has more trouble in winter because of the pollution here. He starts feeling breathless even while walking,” said Kanchan Devi, 38, speaking to Newslaundry outside the AIIMS emergency ward. “We have to keep bringing him here for treatment, and we finally have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow after trying for several days.”

Kanchan, from Nalanda district in Bihar, has been bringing her 50-year-old husband, Deepak Kumar, to Delhi for treatment since 2012. A cardiac patient with a heart implant, Deepak also suffers from a neurological disorder. For the couple, each winter visit is harder than the last, as the pollution makes it difficult for them to breathe properly.

With no relatives in Delhi, the family has been camped outside the emergency ward. “What can I say? We didn’t celebrate Diwali, and we can’t celebrate Chhath this time. We had to leave our three children at home with my mother and come here,” she said.

Some medicines are available free of charge, but the family still has to buy several expensive ones from pharmacies outside, while managing food and other daily expenses.

The pollution has taken a toll on Kanchan’s health too. “For the last two days, I have had a sore throat. I am unable to eat or drink properly and have pain in my joints. My husband has even more difficulty breathing,” she said. 

Kanchan is one of many patients who travel to AIIMS, and end up waiting outside for days in the cold and smog for a doctor’s appointment. Some wait outside the emergency ward, and many at the subway near the hospital next to the AIIMS metro station. They are exposed to the elements, although some good Samaritans come to distribute food and milk packets, and spread plastic sheets for seating.

There is no respite for people with heart and respiratory conditions who are especially vulnerable to air pollution. 

What our monitor recorded

When Newslaundry reached the AIIMS Emergency at 7.15 pm on November 10, our AQI monitor recorded 362, in the “very poor” category, with PM2.5 at 201 and PM10 at 216. The digital AQI display inside the hospital premises showed 278. Inside the Emergency ward, where patients are admitted, our monitor recorded an AQI of 210, which falls under “poor”.

The air inside a hospital can be a problem too. Project MAQUID (Monitoring of Air Quality in Urban Indoors in Delhi), a study by IIT Delhi’s Centre of Excellence for Research on Clean Air, the Society for Indoor Environment and air quality instrument company Kaiterra, found TVOC levels were highest in hospitals and restaurants, due to the “rampant use of chemical cleaning agents, floor cleaners and cooking oils.” CO2 levels were also high in hospitals, colleges, offices and restaurants because of “higher occupancy and inadequate ventilation.”

The wait continues

Outside Gate 3 of the AIIMS Metro station, Anshu and Bunty Kumar were also waiting for their turn, spending their days and nights in the open, exposed to the cold and polluted air.

Anshu, a resident of Agra, has come to AIIMS for a spinal cord problem. “I have been experiencing a sore throat and cough for about a week. I have been camped outside for the past 10 days and have yet to meet the doctor. I have no one at home to help me,” he said.

Bunty, from Patna in Bihar, has come for leg surgery and has been in Delhi for eight days. In pain, he has been sleeping outside gate no.3 of the AIIMS metro station while waiting for his turn. He travelled from Bihar by train after arranging money for the journey, bringing around Rs 2,000-4,000. He is now trying to arrange money for the return trip as well.

Newslaundry reached out to the media cell of AIIMS seeking comment on patients having to wait in polluted air for appointments or treatment. This report will be updated if we receive a response.

This report is part of a collaborative campaign to tackle air pollution. Here’s how you can join the Fight To Breathe. Click here to power this campaign.