A day after the death of a woman following her alleged refusal of admission by Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune over non-payment of an advance deposit of Rs 10 lakh, the Maharashtra government has issued strict instructions for charitable hospitals in the state.
These private hospitals, registered as charitable trust hospitals, receive heavy subsidies on medical equipment, land, utility bills, and can also claim exemptions on income tax. Some of them, like Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, have been allotted land on a 99-year lease for merely Rs 1 per year in rent.
However, these hospitals often function like corporate hospitals and are frequently accused of not providing free or concessional treatment to indigent and weaker sections of society, as per the norms.
As these hospitals appear posh, poor people often mistake them for private hospitals.
Here are few charitable hospiatls in Pune as per the website of Office Of Charity Commissioner
Ruby Hall Clinic
Jahangir Hospital
N.M. Wadia Institute of Cardiology
Poona Hospital and Research Centre
K.E.M Hospital
Deenanath Hospital and Research Centre
Mai Mangeshkar Hospital
Sahayadri Hospital
Mahatma Gandhi Netra Rugnalaya
Sanjeevan Hospital
You can get the full list here.
Charitable hospitals in Maharashtra are required to:
Reserve 10% of beds for indigent patients (income ₹25,000–₹50,000) with free treatment.
Reserve 10% of beds for weaker sections (income ₹50,000–₹1 lakh) at concessional rates.
Allocate 2% of total billing to an Indigent Patient Fund for their treatment.
Meanwhile, CM Devendra Fadnavis has taken serious note of the incident of a woman's death after being refused admission at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune. He has ordered the formation of an inquiry committee under the chairmanship of the Joint Commissioner of Charity, Pune, to investigate the incident.
Instructions regarding Charitable Hospitals by CMO
The CMO statement said instructions have been issued to the Principal Secretary, Law and Justice Department and the Charity Commissioner to ensure the Charity Patient Scheme prepared as per the directions of the High Court is effectively implemented by all the charity hospitals.
Strict action should be taken against the nursing homes that do not implement the scheme as per the directions given by the High Court, the statement said.
"All charitable hospitals should seek approval from the 'Charity Hospital Help Desk' through the online system to make the reserved beds in charitable hospitals available to patients from the poor and vulnerable groups," it said.
The report and recommendations of the committee have been submitted through the inspection team constituted by the Department of Law and Justice and immediate action should be taken on the recommendations, the statement said.
"The government has approved the employment of 186 charitable health workers in charitable hospitals. These posts should be filled immediately. The latest information regarding the Indigent Patients Fund (IPF) account should be obtained from charitable hospitals and updated on the Charity Commissioner's website," it added.
