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Pune (Maharashtra) [India], April 5 (ANI): A probe has been launched by the Pune district administration over the death of a woman, Tanisha Bhise, after she was allegedly refused admission by Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune over a demand of advance payment.
A relative of Tanisha Bhise alleged that the hospital authorities demanded a large sum of money from the victim’s family as advance payment.
An internal inquiry by Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital into the alleged refusal “to admit a pregnant woman over a Rs 10 lakh advance” termed the family’s complaint as “misleading”.
The Pune District Collector has formed a three-member committee to investigate the matter and submit its report in the next two days.
The incident ignited protests and several women workers of the Pune BJP unit vandalised the private clinic of a doctor of the Mangeshkar hospital. The deceased woman’s husband is the close associate of BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe.
Maharashtra minister and state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that it was an “unfortunate accident”. He added that the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has intervened in the matter.
“It is an unfortunate incident… The doctors had a wrong conduct and the treatment was denied due to which the death happened. The Chief Minister has intervened in the matter. Strict action will be taken against those responsible and such incidents will not be tolerated…”, Chandrashekhar Bawankule told reporters.
According to victim’s relatives, she was not admitted to the hospital despite being in a very serious condition.
Priyanka Patil, sister-in-law of Tanisha Bhise, alleged that the hospital authorities did not admit the patient as they were not able to arrange the demanded admission fee.
“When we reached there, they checked her BP… We were told that her condition is critical and they need to do an analysis. They told her not to eat or drink anything… They told us to deposit Rs 20 lakh… Her BP further shot up and she even started bleeding. We arranged Rs 3 lakh within an hour and rushed to the billing department and urged them to admit her… But they did not accept the money… and demanded the exact amount that was mentioned initially… Doctor told her to consume medicine that was earlier prescribed to her, to stop bleeding. But they did nothing else… We finally tried to take her to Sassoon Hospital and brought a wheelchair on our own. Nobody helped us… Check the CCTVs, they did nothing for three hours…”, Priyanka Patil alleged.
According to Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi, he received the information about the incident on Thursday and said that a three-member committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the civil surgeon to investigate the matter, and submit the report in the next two days.
“I received the information yesterday that some misconduct might have happened in the hospital, so I have established a three-member committee under the Chairmanship of the civil surgeon. He will submit the report within the next two days and take statements from the guardians and family members as well as hospital authorities… On the basis of this, we will decide the further actions to be taken in terms of the SOPs…”, he told ANI.
BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe said that the victim’s husband went with his pregnant wife for admission.
“Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital was started with good intentions, but the hospital is getting defamed due to some people. The recent incident happened with my close associate, who went to the hospital for the admission of his wife, who was pregnant with two babies, and he was asked for a payment of Rs 20 lakhs. They were denied treatment even after giving a receipt of Rs 10 lakh”, Amit Gorkhe claimed.
Gorkhe claimed that he called the hospital authorities but they did not consider the request. He said that he has spoken to Chief Minister about the matter.
“I even called the medical staff, but they did not consider it. The couple shifted 2-3 hospitals during which the incident happened. My direct accusation is over the doctors and staff of the Hospital… I had a discussion on this with CM Devendra Fadnavis, who said that an inquiry committee will be set up to investigate this and the staff and doctors found the culprit will be subjected to immediate action. I demand that such doctors be immediately rusticated… Such hospitals must go through monthly audit…”, he added.
Shiv Sena MLA and Maharashtra minister Uday Samant stated that action will be taken if the incident is a “murder”.
“The CM and Deputy Chief Ministers have expressed their strong emotions about the case. Action will be taken if it is a case of murder. The administration will ensure such incidents are not repeated…”, Samant told reporters.
According to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, four-member committee of Dr Dhananjay Kelkar, Dr Anuja Joshi, Dr Sameer Jog, and Dr Sachin Vyavhare found that Dr Kelkar had advised the family to pay what they could, but they did not follow this advice. Based on senior gynaecologists’ opinions, the twin pregnancy was deemed high-risk.
A hospital press note said the report noted that the woman, Ishwari Sushant Bhise, “hadn’t undergone antenatal checkups at the hospital for six months despite being a known patient since 2020.”
“She had previously availed 50 per cent charity for surgery in 2022 and was advised in 2023 to consider adoption due to the high-risk nature of future pregnancies. On March 15, Dr Sushrut Ghaisas warned her of the risks and advised weekly follow-ups. She missed the March 22 checkup but visited the OPD on March 28. While stable, she was advised admission for observation and told that NICU care for premature twins could cost Rs 10-20 lakh. The family agreed to start treatment and contacted Dr Kelkar about financial issues. He advised them to pay what they could, but the patient left without informing the hospital,” the press note said. (ANI)
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