Fadnavis orders probe into Pune woman's death due to 'hospital negligence'

Mumbai, April 4 (IANS) Amid protests over the death of 30-year-old Tanisha Bhise in Pune’s Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital allegedly due to lack of an urgent treatment, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, taking the serious note of the incident, on Friday ordered the formation of an inquiry committee under the chairmanship of the Joint Commissioner of Charity, Pune to investigate the incident.

On the other hand, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that the Health Department has ordered a thorough investigation into the matter through a committee comprising expert doctors.

“I, myself, have instructed the District Magistrate to complete this investigation urgently, transparently and impartially. Although the hospital administration has expressed its views, appropriate action will be taken after considering all the relevant factors. The government has understood the sentiments of the individuals, institutions and organisations protesting in this matter and strict action will be taken as per the law against those found guilty as per the findings of the investigation. All citizens are requested to exercise restraint and cooperate with the administration,” he said.

Public health minister Prakash Abitkar said that a committee has been formed to probe the death of the woman who was allegedly refused admission by Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital over a demand for advance payment and died after giving birth to twins at another hospital. He added that any maternal death is unacceptable and the department has launched a detailed investigation into this issue.

Chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, Rupali Chakankar, in a post on X said, “The instructions have been issued to the Pune municipal commissioner to conduct a detailed inquiry.”

Further, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) health department has issued a show-cause notice to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital over the matter.

Earlier, the chief minister also instructed the state’s Law and Justice Department Principal Secretary and the Charity Commissioner to ensure that the Charity Patient Scheme, prepared as per the directions of the High Court, is effectively implemented by all the charity hospitals.

“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. Immediate instructions should be given to the charitable hospitals in this regard. The inspection report and recommendations of the committee have been submitted through the inspection team constituted by the Department of Law and Justice. Immediate action should be taken on those recommendations. The government has approved the employment of 186 charitable health workers in charitable hospitals. These posts should be filled immediately,” he added.

The controversy erupted after Tanisha Bhise died at Manipal Hospital, Baner, on March 31, two days after she delivered twins at Surya Hospital. The BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe said Tanisha was the wife of his secretary, Sushant. In a video message, Gorkhe claimed that Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital authorities refused to admit Tanisha due to nonpayment of an advanced deposit of Rs 10 lakh. Sources from Gorkhe’s office said that they have filed a complaint at the Alankar police station.

The death had led to protests outside the Dinanath Mangeshkar hospital as the protesters threw coins at the hospital and blackened its name plate.

Meanwhile, the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital Management released a three-page statement after its four-member internal committee probed the incident and submitted its report. It has denied all the charges, saying that the woman had been undergoing treatment at the hospital since 2020.

“Bhise underwent a surgery in 2022, for which she was given a 50 per cent discount on the cost. The hospital had advised the victim to adopt the child as there was no possibility of a safe delivery. The victim was asked to come for a medical check-up every seven days, but she skipped the regular check-up. To ensure a safe delivery, any hospital urges a pregnant woman to have an antepartum check-up at least three times during the pregnancy. But the victim did not undergo this check-up,” said the statement.

“An expert committee headed by Dr Dhananjay Kelkar medical director, including Dr Anuja Joshi, medical superintendent, Dr Samir Jog, ICU in charge and Dr Sachin Vyavahare, administrator, looked into the matter and said the woman had consulted Dr S. Ghaisas on March 15 this year with a report from an IVF centre. The doctor said that the pregnancy was an extremely high-risk one and she was advised to come for a check-up every week. Accordingly, she was expected to come on March 22, but she did not come for the check-up,” read the statement.

“On March 28, the woman, her husband, and a relative had reported to the OPD at the hospital at 11.30 a.m. Dr Ghaisas attended to the patient and advised hospital admission, and the woman was kept under observation since it was a high-risk pregnancy. However, the woman and her husband had left the hospital,” said the statement.

According to the statement, the committee assessed the matter, and it was found that the medical advice was not followed. “The suggestion by the medical administration to pay as much as they could as an advance payment was not heeded when advised of admission to the hospital. Due to the unfortunate death of the patient, misleading statements were being made,” it added.

--IANS

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