At Age 2, AIIMS Recommended Heart Surgery, She Died Waiting For 13 Years; Father Seeks Answers

New Delhi: A deeply distressing case involving alleged negligence and prolonged delays in treatment has emerged from AIIMS Delhi, the country's most prestigious medical institution. Tanvi, a 15-year-old girl from Kota, Rajasthan, who was studying in Class IX, passed away on the AIIMS premises on Tuesday.

Mukesh Pariyani, the father of the deceased, leveled serious allegations against the hospital administration and doctors, alleging his daughter, who suffered from a complex heart condition, had been making repeated visits to AIIMS for surgery dates over the past 13 years. Yet, he said, "The operation could not be performed on time due to procrastination on part of the hospital authorities. Ultimately, she lost her life as a result of this delay and negligence."

Treatment At AIIMS Since Age Two

Tanvi, a resident of Kota, suffered from a congenital heart defect (Ventricular Septal Defect or VSD, accompanied by Pulmonary Atresia). Her parents had first brought her to AIIMS Delhi when she was merely two years old, full of hope. Her family alleges that according to hospital records, surgery was recommended in 2014, and even a date for the operation was scheduled for 2015. Despite this, the surgery was repeatedly postponed for various reasons.

The father maintained that had the doctors performed the surgery in time, his daughter would still be alive today. He further alleged that between August 24 and August 31, the doctors did not even examine his daughter.

According to hospital records, Tanvi was readmitted to AIIMS on August 24. Doctors stated that she was undergoing an evaluation process for a combined heart-lung transplant.

Sequence Of Events Leading To Death

An endoscopy procedure was completed around 7 pm on Monday, following which her condition began to deteriorate rapidly. Dr V Devagourou, Head of the Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) Department, stated that the teenager complained of extreme weakness and breathing difficulties around 2.50 am on Tuesday.

Examinations revealed that her oxygen saturation level had dropped to 48 per cent. Although doctors placed her on oxygen support and made every effort to save her, she could not be revived and was declared dead at around 5.06 am.

The family is devastated by the daughter's death. Expressing strong resentment against the AIIMS administration, the grieving father stated that no satisfactory explanation regarding the cause of death had been provided. He also leveled serious allegations against hospital staff, claiming they repeatedly harassed the family with paperwork and, on several occasions, pressured them to accept a forced discharge.

Suspecting a conspiracy behind the sequence of events, the father has demanded a high-level inquiry. Seeking justice, the family has refused to claim their daughter's body until the hospital administration provides clear answers regarding their concerns and the years of delay.

What AIIMS Doctors Had To Say

Meanwhile, senior doctors at AIIMS maintain that an examination in 2018 had revealed that the girl's pulmonary arteries — the major vessels supplying blood to the lungs — had failed to develop; consequently, standard corrective surgery was deemed too risky and deferred, and she was kept under medical observation instead.

Family Makes Further Allegations

Tanvi's uncle, Bharat Pariyani, explained that since 2014, his brother Mukesh kept travelling between Delhi and Kota for Tanvi's treatment — sometimes making 15 trips a month, as AIIMS Cardiology Department doctors kept making them "run from pillar to post". He alleged that they had deposited around Rs 1.5 lakh — covering everything from blood and medicines to other supplies — for her treatment at the hospital as early as 2014, but the operation — to reconstruct a heart vessel — wasn't carried out.

Bharat said whatever his brother earned from working at a clothing store was spent entirely on his daughter's treatment.

Another uncle, Sunil Pariyani, said the family had lodged a complaint on the PM Portal regarding the delay in Tanvi's treatment, following which, AIIMS cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Sachin Talwar had been pressuring them to withdraw the complaint.

AIIMS Forms Committee

AIIMS New Delhi in a statement said it has constituted a committee to review the clinical course and circumstances surrounding Tanvi’s death.

"Tanvi, who had a complex congenital heart condition, died on September 1 after a hypoxic spell and cardiac arrest. An autopsy is underway; Final conclusions will await the committee’s findings and autopsy report," the statement said. (With inputs from Manish Gautam)

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