Under fire Pune-based Hospital announces ‘no deposit’ policy

Pune: The Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Maharashtra’s Pune city, under fire for allegedly turning away a pregnant woman over non-payment of Rs 10 lakh as advance for treatment, on Saturday announced it would no longer be taking deposits from patients at the emergency department.
The woman, wife of the personal secretary of BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe, had to be shifted to another hospital where she died after delivering twins. The incident hit national headlines and evoked strong condemnation from leaders cutting across party lines as well as protests from citizens’ groups.
In an open letter, the hospital’s medical director Dr Dhananjay Kelkar said, “In the early years of Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, we never took a deposit. But as the number of critical cases increased and the cost of complex treatments rose, the hospital began taking deposits in certain high-cost cases.”
“However, in light of yesterday’s events, we have re-evaluated this practice and passed a resolution that the hospital will no longer take any deposit from patients entering through the Emergency Department, including emergency deliveries and paediatric emergencies. This will be implemented with immediate effect,” Dr Kelkar said in the letter.
He defended the hospital by reiterating that he had personally told the woman’s kin to pay as per their ability and also offered all help, but they left with the patient without informing anyone.