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The Woman Who Ran AIIMS: The Memoirs of a Medical Pioneer
Dr Sneh Bhargava, born in 1930, is one of the first Indian women to qualify as a radiologist. She was the very first and, so far, only woman to head AIIMS in its decades-long history. On her first day on the job as AIIMS director, in 1984, Dr Bhargava had to deal with a monumental Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had been shot and was brought to AIIMS. In this book, we get a riveting first-hand account of this harrowing story and other gripping tales from the annals of medicine.
Dr Bhargava was in the room when the invention of the CT scanner was announced in the US in the early 1970s. It was she who convinced the higher-ups in the Indian government to bring the CT scanner to India. Up until that point, the only way to look inside a patient’s body was to do an X-ray or to cut them open. This book is chock-full of intriguing stories from a bygone era – from the time radium needles, used to treat cancers, mysteriously went missing from Lady Hardinge Medical College to when Dr Bhargava diagnosed a sitting president with lung cancer using only an X-ray image.
After she retired from AIIMS in 1990, Dr Bhargava went on to play a pivotal role in the establishment of two top hospitals in New Delhi. She was forced into retirement in her 90s, when COVID-19 regulations meant she could no longer go into the hospitals for work. She used the newly acquired free time to write this frank and candid book, one of the best memoirs from a pioneer of Indian medicine. This is not just the story of her extraordinary life but is, equally, the story of the medical profession in post-Independence India, and an illustration of what it means to truly live a life of service.
Dr Bhargava was in the room when the invention of the CT scanner was announced in the US in the early 1970s. It was she who convinced the higher-ups in the Indian government to bring the CT scanner to India. Up until that point, the only way to look inside a patient’s body was to do an X-ray or to cut them open. This book is chock-full of intriguing stories from a bygone era – from the time radium needles, used to treat cancers, mysteriously went missing from Lady Hardinge Medical College to when Dr Bhargava diagnosed a sitting president with lung cancer using only an X-ray image.
After she retired from AIIMS in 1990, Dr Bhargava went on to play a pivotal role in the establishment of two top hospitals in New Delhi. She was forced into retirement in her 90s, when COVID-19 regulations meant she could no longer go into the hospitals for work. She used the newly acquired free time to write this frank and candid book, one of the best memoirs from a pioneer of Indian medicine. This is not just the story of her extraordinary life but is, equally, the story of the medical profession in post-Independence India, and an illustration of what it means to truly live a life of service.
- GenresNonfiction
267 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 23, 2025
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July 13, 2025
-A Pinoeer, A Doctor, A Warrior-
Review of 'The Woman Who Ran AIIMS' by Dr Sneh Bhargava (MD)
Quote Alert
"𝐀𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐋𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬-𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝. 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 - 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲. 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬.'𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞,' 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐩𝐭."
The first and till now the only woman head of AIIMS, New Delhi, Dr Sneh Bhargava is an inspiration for not only people like me from the health field but for everyone. And in this book she has written down the story of her life, melding personal and professional details.
Appointed as head of AIIMS by Indira Gandhi for her exemplary service, her first day was something out of her wildest dreams. The PM had been shot and was brought to AIIMS. The first chapter of the book details this harrowing incident and the author brings it to life with her account. She shares the dilemma of not declaring PM dead without having proper security measures.
Dr Bhargava, one of the first radiologists and a pioneer in her field shared how this stream of medical science, now indispensable for diagnosis, was looked down upon in early independent India so much so that radiologists weren't considered doctor enough. Since there was a paucity of colleges that taught radiology, her parents consented to send her to England for post graduation studies. All her sisters were given a proper education, she shares, and were never discriminated by their parents.
Dr Bhargava is forthcoming and doesn't stop herself from sharing her life honestly. She shares her disgust for so called 'gurus', having molested by one in her own home. She also shares how her father, after partition, began to distrust muslims. Her offer to save sikhs colleagues by letting them into her home during anti Sikh riots was heart touching.
The story is written in a simple but upfront manner. It's quite engaging and interesting to know how the medical field progressed through the eyes of someone who was the centre of it all. Don't miss this one.
Review of 'The Woman Who Ran AIIMS' by Dr Sneh Bhargava (MD)
Quote Alert
"𝐀𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐋𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬-𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝. 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 - 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲. 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬.'𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞,' 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐩𝐭."
The first and till now the only woman head of AIIMS, New Delhi, Dr Sneh Bhargava is an inspiration for not only people like me from the health field but for everyone. And in this book she has written down the story of her life, melding personal and professional details.
Appointed as head of AIIMS by Indira Gandhi for her exemplary service, her first day was something out of her wildest dreams. The PM had been shot and was brought to AIIMS. The first chapter of the book details this harrowing incident and the author brings it to life with her account. She shares the dilemma of not declaring PM dead without having proper security measures.
Dr Bhargava, one of the first radiologists and a pioneer in her field shared how this stream of medical science, now indispensable for diagnosis, was looked down upon in early independent India so much so that radiologists weren't considered doctor enough. Since there was a paucity of colleges that taught radiology, her parents consented to send her to England for post graduation studies. All her sisters were given a proper education, she shares, and were never discriminated by their parents.
Dr Bhargava is forthcoming and doesn't stop herself from sharing her life honestly. She shares her disgust for so called 'gurus', having molested by one in her own home. She also shares how her father, after partition, began to distrust muslims. Her offer to save sikhs colleagues by letting them into her home during anti Sikh riots was heart touching.
The story is written in a simple but upfront manner. It's quite engaging and interesting to know how the medical field progressed through the eyes of someone who was the centre of it all. Don't miss this one.
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June 18, 2025A very inspirational read. simply written. a must read especially for doctors to understand how blessed we are
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