Imagine being told you need a crucial medical test to find out what is really wrong with your stomach, only to reach the hospital and discover—there’s no one to do it.

That’s exactly what has been happening for the past 15 days at the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) in East Delhi, one of the capital’s premier government-run super speciality centres. 

Yes, you read that right. A hospital set up with state-of-the-art facilities, meant to ease the burden on big centres like GB Pant, has not been able to carry out a simple yet life-deciding test—endoscopy—because there is no trained doctor available. 

Now think of the patients. Hundreds of them are being referred here every week from hospitals like Guru Teg Bahadur (GTBH) and Swami Dayanand Hospital, only to be told that the test isn’t happening.

Endoscopy is not some optional procedure—it’s what tells doctors the actual cause of gastro problems and helps decide the next step of treatment. Without it, patients are left hanging in the dark. 

And remember, these aren’t people who can simply swipe a card and get the test done at a private hospital. Most of them live hand-to-mouth.

For them, each extra day of waiting means more pain, more uncertainty, and often lost daily wages.  Meet Raju (name changed).

He’s been struggling with stomach pain and digestion issues for months. His local doctor referred him to RGSSH for an endoscopy.

But when he finally made it here, he was told no doctor was available to perform the test. “It’s already been more than 15 days, and still nothing is happening. I can’t afford to go to a private hospital. On top of that, I’m losing my daily wages because of my illness,” he told Drug Today Medical Times.

His voice carries both frustration and helplessness—the voice of so many patients stuck in the same cycle. 

When asked, Dr. Akhilesh Verma, Director of RGSSH, admitted the problem: “We have not been able to carry out endoscopy because we do not have a trained doctor. Interviews are being conducted, and we hope soon a doctor will be available.” 

But here’s the bigger question: why wasn’t an alternative doctor arranged to handle such a crucial test, especially when the hospital knew this gap would directly impact patient care?

If one doctor is missing, should the entire service come to a halt in a super speciality hospital?  This isn’t the first time RGSSH has made headlines for the wrong reasons.

The hospital, despite having an impressive infrastructure, stayed non-functional for years because posts weren’t filled and processes dragged on. It was finally opened with the promise of reducing the load on Delhi’s central hospitals.

But here we are, with patients again left in limbo.  For now, the building stands tall, the machines are ready, the patients are waiting—but the test that could change their treatment course remains out of reach. And all because there isn’t a doctor, or even an alternative arrangement, to do it.