AIIMS Delhi yet to operate on 15-year-old Kota girl with heart defect

A 15-year-old girl from Kota, Tanvi, has been visiting AIIMS Delhi since she was two for a congenital heart defect, but her father alleges the corrective surgery was never performed despite repeated consultations and scheduled dates. Tanvi was first brought to AIIMS on October 10, 2012, with a ventricular septal defect (VSD). Records show an estimate of Rs 1.25 lakh for surgery in 2014, and surgery dates were given in 2015 but the procedure did not happen, according to The Times of India.

Dr Sachin Talwar, the cardiothoracic surgeon treating her, told TOI that Tanvi is not a candidate for surgery because the arteries supplying blood to her lungs are essentially absent. He said he has reviewed her CT scans multiple times and documented his assessment. Tanvi's father, Mukesh Pariyani, said she has had recurrent fever, cough and cold for over a year, lost weight, and cannot attend school. He said he was frustrated after years of visiting AIIMS and wanted to discuss the case directly with Dr Talwar.

Pariyani filed grievances in 2016 and June 2025, and approached the PMO in February 2026, but the complaints remain under process. AIIMS media cell in-charge Professor Rima Dada said the matter is a concern and will be looked into. The case follows TOI's earlier report of Aayansh Kumar, a Bihar boy whose surgery by the same doctor was delayed for nearly six years until it was performed in June 2024 after media attention.