Pune: BJP Leader Pushkar Tuljapurkar Alleges Father-In-Law Missing From Sassoon Hospital For Months

Pune: Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Pune City General Secretary and Former Corporator Pushkar Tuljapurkar has alleged that his father-in-law has gone missing from Sassoon General Hospital. According to Tuljapurkar, his father-in-law, Prakash Purohit (75 years old), has been missing for the last couple of months.

Tuljapurkar added that his father-in-law was admitted on 23rd September 2024 for a respiratory illness diagnosis. However, he said that after some days, his father-in-law, Purohit, went missing, and since then, Sassoon General Hospital and its administration have yet to provide information about his whereabouts or condition.

Expressing frustration, Tuljapurkar said, “We don't even know if he is dead or alive. The hospital has not given us a single update. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and we (the family members) were denied access and weren't allowed to meet him. I have been repeatedly following up with various departments of Sassoon Hospital, but I have received no clarity.”

Tulapurkar further expressed disbelief at the behaviour of hospital staff, saying, “If a person like me, who is a public representative, is being treated like this, the condition of the common man must be bad.” He said that he has submitted a written complaint to Maharashtra Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif and Maharashtra Minister of State Madhuri Misal (also a BJP MLA from Parvati Assembly Constituency).

This is not the first incident; Sassoon Hospital has embroiled itself in a controversy. With a long list of controversies already present, Tuljapurkar's fresh allegations have again created questions directed at Pune's largest government medical facility.

After concerns made by Tuljapurkar went viral, Sassoon Hospital administration clarifed that father-in-law Purohit was not missing, but relocated.

Dr. Yallapa Jadhav, Medical Superintendent at Sassoon General Hospital in Pune, told The Free Press Journal, “Prakash Purohit was admitted on 23rd September 2024 as a Medico-Legal Case (MLC) patient after being brought by a 108 ambulance. His relatives left immediately after admission and did not visit or contact the hospital throughout his 72-day treatment for a femur fracture. The hospital provided full medical care, after which the patient’s condition stabilised and he began walking with support.”

“As no relatives were traceable, and as per government rules, he was rehabilitated on 4th December 2024 to a government-recognised old age home through the Medical Social Work Department. The hospital reiterates that all treatment and rehabilitation procedures were carried out transparently and as per protocol," added Dr Yallapa Jadhav.