Devendra Fadnavis promises action, SOPs after pregnant woman died as hospital denied admission over deposit

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday vowed to take strict action against the guilty after a pregnant woman died following allegations that she was denied treatment in Pune's Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital due to non-payment of a deposit.

CM Fadnavis said, as quoted by ANI, “I met the victim's family. I have assured them that we have formed a committee. The committee arrived today. We will take strict action against the guilty, and the state government will also prepare an SOP to prevent such incidents in the future. We will make sure that all necessary steps are taken regarding this incident.”

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The pregnant woman, Tanisha Bhise, died due to health complications on March 31 after giving birth to twins in Surya Hospital, Wakad, on March 29.

The woman's family claimed that on March 28, Tanisha and her husband had approached Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, where the staff demanded ₹10 lakh as a deposit for her treatment. They also claimed that they offered to pay ₹2.5 lakh up front but were still denied entry.

The Bhise family and BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe, for whom Tanisha's husband worked as a personal assistant, met with CM Fadnavis and demanded strict action against the hospital administration. A government committee had been formed to look into the case.

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"Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital was built following huge efforts by the Mangeshkar family, but mistakes need to be corrected. There are some primary findings from the committee. However, it is not appropriate to comment till complete findings are noted," the chief minister added.

Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital announces ‘no deposit’ policy

The Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, refuted claims made by the victim's kin, and announced that they will no longer ask for deposits from patients at the emergency department, including urgent deliveries and pediatric emergencies.

"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," the hospital's medical director Dr Dhananjay Kelkar stated, as quoted by ANI.

Kelkar also defended the hospital and stated that he had personally offered to help the victim's family and asked them to pay as per their ability, but they had left with the patient without informing anyone.

He claimed that the hospital was not directly responsible for Tanisha Bhise's death but had launched an investigation into whether adequate sensitivity was displayed towards the patient.

On Friday, the hospital's internal inquiry report claimed that the victim's kin had made “misleading” allegations against them “out of frustration.”