Delhi: AIIMS catches third tout in four months from same private lab

The tout was standing near Gate No 1 of the institute in a Maruti Eeco on Thursday to pick up patients in need of an MRI. The person was then handed over to the AIIMS police post.

A letter from the AIIMS assistant security officer to the police post reads, “It is also to bring to your kind notice that employees (of the lab) were caught in the past also and were handed over to the police on November 25, 2021 and December 28, 2021 but no legal action was taken against them. In view of the above, it is kindly requested to lodge an FIR and take legal action.”

Getting tests at AIIMS has become easier since a “smart lab” was inaugurated at the hospital last year, which can conduct up to 2 lakh tests a day. The results of almost all tests are given to the patients on the same day.

The hospital has previously faced problems not only due to touts from diagnostic centres but also due to people posing as doctors or employees of AIIMS and promising to get patients a bed at the hospital. With patients coming in from across India for treatment at AIIMS Delhi, the institute not only has a long wait for consultation, there are queues for hospital beds, with the waiting list extending up to a year for surgeries in certain departments.