Archive · 6 Oct 2026
AIIMS Obesity Clinic Sees Patient Numbers Surge as States Follow
AIIMS in New Delhi started a special clinic to help people with obesity in 2017.
Since it opened, 14,000 people have registered there.
The clinic saw about 100 people in its first year, but 2,300 came during the first nine months of 2026.
Patients can get help from a team that includes nutrition, exercise and medical specialists.
Some newer medicines have become less expensive, so more patients are considering them.
However, most patients still have to pay for these medicines themselves.
Gujarat and a hospital in Hyderabad have also started dedicated obesity services.
Public health experts say India needs more clinics and more training for health workers.
They also say preventing obesity, including by supporting breastfeeding and limiting marketing of unhealthy processed foods, is important.
AIIMS in New Delhi opened its obesity clinic in October 2017 and has registered 14,000 patients since then.
The clinic saw about 100 patients in its first year and 2,300 from January through September 2026.
Its Wednesday outpatient clinic sees 50 to 60 people weekly, including about 20 new registrations.
Lower prices for generic semaglutide have made more patients willing to pay for GLP-1 medicines, though most patients still pay themselves.
Gujarat began opening public-hospital obesity clinics in three cities in March 2025, and Hyderabad’s NIMS opened a dedicated clinic in May 2026.
- Who
- The AIIMS obesity clinic and people seeking obesity care; public health experts also commented on the need for services and prevention.
- What
- The clinic reported rising patient registrations as public hospitals in Gujarat and Hyderabad develop dedicated obesity services.
- When
- The AIIMS clinic opened in October 2017; the report was published October 6, 2026, and its 2,300 patients this year were counted through September.
- Where
- AIIMS in New Delhi, with newer public obesity services in Gujarat and at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad.
- Why
- The article attributes the rising clinic attendance to increasing obesity prevalence and describes growing public-health attention to obesity care.
- AIIMS clinic opened
- October 11, 2017
- Patients registered since opening
- 14,000
- First-year patients
- About 100
- Patients in 2026 through September
- 2,300
- Weekly clinic attendance
- An average of 50 to 60 patients, including about 20 new registrations
- Gujarat clinics
- The state began opening free obesity treatment clinics in civil hospitals in three cities in March 2025.
- NIMS clinic
- Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences inaugurated a dedicated Comprehensive Obesity Clinic in May 2026; it operates Monday through Saturday.