NEW DELHI: Last Saturday when a fire broke out at AIIMS Delhi, Dr Sanjay Aggarwal, Head of Nephrology department was in Aurangabad. When he saw the news, it was past 9 pm. “All I knew was that my efforts of 35 years in AIIMS were reduced to ashes…all data, files were gone,” Dr Aggarwal told The Morning Standard.
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Dr Aggarwal’s chamber was on the 4th floor of AIIMS teaching block. Post OPD sessions, he would offer counselling sessions and attend to patients who came knocking on his door.
On Monday, he visited his chamber to collect whatever material was left unburned.
“When I entered nothing was left to be taken back home. Not just the fire, the water from cannons had also damaged the room. The computer was gone, files were damaged. I collected my passport which was kept in a locker and few files,” he said. Even though different departments have opened up their doors for doctors who lost their chambers to the fire, Dr Aggarwal does not see it as a long-term solution.
“Even if I am given another room what will I do there if I have no documents to work. I will have to start everything from scratch. Coming back to normalcy will take a long time. It makes one question why an institution like AIIMS had no NOC papers. It’s risking people’s lives,” he said.