Lying on a sheet outside gate no. 6B at Delhi’s AIIMS, Sandhya Patel is just among the hundreds of patients who camp overnight outside the health facility each day.
It’s because the “unofficial” slots for a medical appointment are decided at night outside the gate, with patients jostling with security guards to get themselves registered on a first come, first serve basis. These slots are prioritised before the others in queues when the entry gate opens at 7 am. Moving at a snail’s pace, these rows eventually branch out towards the counters near the canteen, and the appointments are officially confirmed here.
