A day at AIIMS- Part1

It’s been long time, more than 2 years I suppose since I last wrote a blog. It was a long wait for me too. From being overloaded with my own life to finding something substantial to write, I was a bit confused whether I should bring down the blog or wait for some meaningful cogitation or experience which I can share. Now I believe it was worth the wait. I always find it better to write my own experience with life and then alas! I got the opportunity to visit India’s finest medical institute lying in the heart of the capital Delhi, AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences). Don’t worry, nothing serious!

Because of the conception I had before visiting there because of some honest reviewers of India I was already jumbled whether my decision to visit AIIMS was right or not. Reviews went like this-too much crowdy, mismanagement at its best, people littering here and there and that too in the era of Swachh Bharat(Clean India) and much more. That created second thoughts in my mind and I was planning to cancel the visit and better visit some private hospital which will be more convenient. But finally I decided to go with my initial thoughts to find out whether these allegations are actually right or not. Also it is always better to experience a place before making any pre-conception based on India’s honest reviewers.

I booked an appointment online (yes, you can do that) on 4th April but to my dismay I got the appointment of 24th April. As there was nothing serious I decided to wait for 20 days. On 24th I got up early in the morning as appointment time was 9:00 A.M. Of course, it is early but nevertheless I took a metro to AIIMS and reached there just to find a long serpentine queue (more than a km I suppose) to get the Doctor’s Slip or parchi, a better word. The thoughts of those reviews again came in front of my eyes but to my surprise, queue was moving very fast as there were more than 20 counters just to give you that parchi and  there were Patient Care Coordinators in Blue T-Shirts (let’s call them Blue Army) at every step to help.

After half an hour or so I got the slip and a wrist band designating me as officially a patient in AIIMS. I was happy but at the same time confused to find out what next! SO I asked a girl (obviously) from Blue Army “Where do I have to go now?”

“Please wait in the waiting hall for your turn”. She replied hurriedly.

I wanted to talk more so I again asked “And where is that?”

“Go straight and then left” she said.

I don’t know why people are still confused about right and left because I knew it was on the right side. Or may be it was her way of dispel people like me, I don’t know. Anyways, I decided to wait in the waiting hall which was spacious enough having chairs placed in the queue for people of India to behave properly and wait for their turn. A.C. in the waiting hall was running in full swing much needed in the hot summer afternoon of Delhi. I waited for my turn till a guy of Blue Army came and put a date stamp on my wrist band. There were around 4-5 guys of Blue Army in the waiting hall working honestly for catering the need of the people and especially telling people to sit at the place designated by them. So, till now there was no sign of mismanagement.

Finally, they told me to go to room no 27(or rather cabin is the right word) where I was supposed to meet the doctor. I went there and found a guy who was collecting parchis of all the patients coming to cabin no 27. My turn was 25th, so again I had to hold my breath for 12 more patients who came before me to get the checkup done. After around 60-65 minutes of wait, my turn came which meant 5 minutes per patient. With an average of 10,000 OPD patients per day, 35 lac OPD patients per annum 5 minutes per patient on an average is a huge number. On my previous visit to any hospital I never spent more than 2-3 minutes with the doctor. Even in IITK, it’s like 45 seconds where you don’t even have to tell what your problem is and he is ready with his prescription and that too when they had to cater less number of patients.

Well, I came out with an extra blue slip having tick marked on a box for blood checkup for which I had to come the next day as I did not went there empty stomach. But I decided to deposit the fees for the blood checkup so that I can directly come for the checkup next day.

I again needed help to know about the place where I can deposit the fees but this time Blue Army guy did not came to my rescue. I asked the guy “Where should I go to deposit the fees for blood checkup?”

He himself seemed confused. With one of his eyebrow going above the other one, he replied “Go to your left and you will find it”. Fascinated with the service these guys have provided me till now, I had to follow his advice even if he was a boy. I marked his word, went straight to my left just to find a room meant for generator. I thought is there any problem with these guys, do they know just one direction, left!. At least he was a boy I don’t know why he behaved like that. Just when such thoughts started pouring in me heavily I asked a sweeper and he was kind enough to help and told me the right way.

I went inside the room meant for depositing the fees but again huge crowd of people welcomed me. There were again 20 counters just meant for depositing the fees but every counter had at least 25 people in front of that. I scanned every counter to find the shortest one to stand in the queue. This time the queue was not dissipating very fast as server was down. Later I realized that it was a blessing in disguise for me because standing in a queue which is not moving with so many diverse people around you, you get to listen infinite view-points about the system. A person possibly from UP (as I can guess from the language he used) even went to the extent that these guys don’t want to work for common people. “Ye humara server down karke VIP logo ka server chalu rakhte h (they keep on the server for VIP people only)”. Some turn themselves into a queue vigilante (not a cow vigilante though) by not allowing anyone to sneak into the line after coming late. Although we are creative enough to devise 1000s of ways and means of not standing in line and getting the access of the counter as soon as possible. All was still well till a girl possibly in her 20s sent her ailing mother to somehow get the access of the counter. I was wondering why she just ask her mother to sit on the chair and stand in the queue by herself. Unless there is no urgency what is the point of using your own ailing mother just to get things done quickly. But as I said thanks to another queue vigilante who did not allowed her to sneak in and she had to give up by standing in the line at the end. By doing this she already wasted 15-20 minutes which added like 10 people in the queue already.

Well, after another 45 minutes or so I deposited the fees. These 45 minutes were the best 45 minutes of the whole day as I came to know about various misconceptions and also I got the opportunity to play and gift a pencil which I had in my bag to a kid who was standing in front of me with his mother. That happiness on his face took my whole tiredness away.

Being satisfied with the service I received I decided to go back home but with some unanswered questions in my mind.

Why we only get to hear complains about AIIMS?

Why Doctors had to protest for the ill-treatment by the kins of the patients? Why these ‘Gods on Earth’ had to face their brunt?

Why people can’t have this much of patience to even wait for their turn to come and stand in the queue?

Why the same people who can search for dustbins to throw empty rappers inside the AIIMS campus, throw the same rappers on the road when there is no penalty?

Well, I had to come the next day to find the answers of, if not all, but some of these unanswered questions and obviously to get the blood checkup.

Continue here for Part-2