Burdened by patient load, MRIs at AIIMS have years-long wait

For the parents of five-year-old Akriti, coming to one of India's premier hospitals - the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi - all the way from Samastipur in Bihar, was a desperate resort in their attempt to give their daughter a "normal" life.

- Ridhima Gupta

But what awaited them was not just world-class medical expertise - it was an appointment date for an MRI scan that left them bewildered.

The date of appointment: January 5, 2026 - more than two years from now.

Akriti's father, Amresh, who runs a modest hardware shop with his wife, Roshni, recalls the moment with frustration. "We came to AIIMS because everyone said this was the best place for affordable treatment," he said. "But no one told us that affordable also means waiting for years."

The family has been seeking treatment at AIIMS for three years, after noticing developmental delays in their daughter, including speech difficulties. Following a doctor's prescription for a brain MRI on Tuesday, Amresh queued up, only to be handed a date that felt impossibly far away.

"What are we supposed to do till then, keep waiting till her health condition only gets worse?"

A brain MRI at AIIMS costs ₹3,500 - a significant expense for families like Akriti's, but still far cheaper than private facilities where the cost can climb to ₹15,000 or more.