Dr. Sneh Bhargava

A trailblazing radiologist recalls leading AIIMS, medical breakthroughs, and historic crises—offering rare, first-hand stories from the frontlines of Indian medicine.

on Feb 04, 2026

Dr Sneh Bhargava, born in 1930, stands among the pioneering women of Indian medicine and was one of the earliest Indian women to qualify as a radiologist. She went on to become the first — and still the only — woman to serve as Director of AIIMS, marking a historic milestone in the institution’s legacy.

On her very first day as AIIMS Director in 1984, Dr Bhargava was thrust into a moment of national crisis when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was brought to the hospital after being shot. The book offers a gripping first-hand account of this tragic day, alongside many other unforgettable medical stories from her career.

Dr Bhargava was also present in the United States in the early 1970s when the CT scanner was first introduced to the world. Recognizing its revolutionary potential, she played a crucial role in persuading the Indian government to bring CT scan technology to India, transforming diagnostic medicine in the country. Until then, doctors relied mainly on X-rays or invasive surgery to see inside the human body.

This memoir is filled with remarkable stories from a different era of medicine — from the mysterious disappearance of radium needles used in cancer treatment at Lady Hardinge Medical College to the time Dr Bhargava diagnosed a sitting president with lung cancer using only an X-ray image.