The Joint Charity Commissioner, Pune has appointed an officer to probe the death of an infant girlon Sunday due to alleged non-acceptance of discontinued currency notes by city-based Ruby Hall Clinic.
“Deputy Joint Charity Commissioner, Nitin Jadhav has been appointed to inquire into the allegations. He will record statements of both parties and submit a report to me, which in turn will be sent to the State government for further action,” S.B. Kachare, Joint Charity Commissioner, Pune, said on Tuesday.
Mr. Kachare also said that inspector Kailas Mahale, from the Charity Commissioner’s office, has been appointed to prevent any possible inconvenience to patients coming in for emergency treatment at the hospital for a week.
“While no complaint has been filed against the Ruby Hall Clinic, we have acted based on media reports that highlighted the incident. The Charity Commissioner has already ordered all charity hospitals across the State to give priority to treatment and not reject patients who are not be able to pay in new notes,” Mr. Kachare added.
On Sunday, Amrapali and Gaurav Khunte alleged that their two-day old girl died as a consequence of Ruby Hall Clinic authorities denying treatment unless the projected bill amount, Rs. 3.5 lakh, was paid in cash, and that too in new-denomination notes, and not in instalments.
The hospital denied the accusations, and stated that it has always “adhered to a humane policy” during emergencies.
The infant, born at Pune’s K.E.M. hospital, was suffering from a congenital heart disease which led to difficulty in breathing. The family was advised to shift the child to Ruby Hall Clinic for further treatment.
Meanwhile, Pune District Collector, Saurabh Rao, directed all private hospitals in the district to accept cheques if patients did not have the new currency notes. He also said that citizens can dial 108, the helpline number, in case of non-acceptance of cheque.
