Too poor for a hospital bed: people wait for treatment in New Delhi on December 7, 2022.
Image: photo alliance / AP
Many Indians who lack access to affordable healthcare in rural areas are flocking to cities. Public hospitals are overwhelmed.
ISouth of New Delhi is the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), one of the largest public hospitals in the Indian capital. Patients crowd in front of the entrance gate. Dozens of people almost took up residence on the side of the road.
They lie on thin mats, cut-out boxes and fabrics. They settled here with their families because they came to Delhi for treatment but could not afford accommodation. Sitting on the sidewalk, Durjan Kuri, 58, arrived by train from Uttar Pradesh three days ago. “My knees hurt,” he says, pulling his pant legs up so far that long scars become visible.
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