A 15-year-old girl from Kota, Rajasthan, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Monday following a prolonged wait for corrective heart surgery, according to a report by the Times of India. The girl, identified as Tanvi, had been visiting the hospital for more than thirteen years for treatment of a complex congenital heart condition.
Her father alleged that years of delay in performing surgery contributed to her death, the report stated. Doctors at AIIMS had been evaluating Tanvi for a possible heart-lung transplant after determining that conventional corrective surgery was no longer viable for her condition. She experienced a sudden decline in health and suffered cardiac arrest in the early hours before being declared dead.
The case has raised questions about waiting times and treatment prioritization at India’s premier public tertiary-care institution, where demand for specialized cardiac care routinely exceeds available surgical slots. AIIMS Delhi is the country’s largest government-run referral hospital, handling thousands of complex cardiac cases annually.
The hospital has not publicly responded to the father’s allegations of delay. No official statement from AIIMS administration was immediately available.
Analysis: Tanvi’s death underscores structural challenges in India’s public healthcare system, where patients with congenital heart disease — a condition requiring early surgical intervention for optimal outcomes — can face extended waits for procedures. While the family’s allegations of delay have not been independently verified, the broader pattern of long waiting lists at government super-specialty hospitals is well documented. The reported decision to evaluate a heart-lung transplant, rather than corrective surgery, suggests her condition had progressed to a stage where conventional repair was deemed insufficient, a trajectory often associated with delayed intervention in complex congenital cases.
Sources:
– Times of India — https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/15-year-old-girl-dies-in-aiims-dad-alleges-years-of-delay-in-heart-surgery/articleshow/133689360.cms
Source: Times of India – Top Stories
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Story synopsis gathered from: Times of India – Top Stories — source
