Gynaecologist resigns citing threats, Hospital admits Rs 10 lakh deposit was sought

According to the latest PTI news report, the doctor decided to step down from his position at the hospital, citing intense public anger, social media backlash, and threatening calls as reasons for his resignation. 

His reasons for resignation were confirmed by Dr Dhananjay Kelkar, medical director of the hospital, who said, "In his resignation letter, Dr ** stated that he is under tremendous mental pressure due to public outrage, criticism, and threats. He fears this will impact his ability to treat other patients and may also compromise the safety of his family. To avoid injustice to his work, he has decided to resign.” 

The hospital administration has forwarded the resignation to its trustees, and it is expected that it will be accepted, he said, adding that Dr *** will complete his scheduled surgeries and work until Thursday.

Also read- Medical Council Seeks Doctors' Names after Pregnant Woman's Death at Pune Hospital

Medical Dialogues recently reported that a seven-month pregnant woman carrying twins died after allegedly being denied admission at the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune due to non-payment of an advance of Rs 10 lakh. The 30-year-old woman was reportedly facing severe pregnancy-related complications when she was rushed to the hospital, but was turned away for treatment.

The woman's husband alleged that the hospital demanded a sum of Rs 10 lakh for treatment, even as he expressed his willingness to pay Rs 2.5 lakh upfront. He alleged that the hospital's refusal to admit her or provide immediate medical care caused significant delays. As her condition deteriorated, the situation became increasingly critical. Left with no choice, the family rushed her to another hospital, but tragically, she passed away shortly after giving birth to her twin daughters. 

This incident has sparked intense debate, with many accusing the hospital of prioritizing financial gain over human life. The husband, who serves as a private secretary to Maharashtra Legislative Council member Amit Gorkhe, accused the hospital of prioritizing money over the life of his wife. 

In response to the incident, the state health department has formed a five-member panel to investigate the matter. The committee, constituted by the state health department, visited all three hospitals where the woman was taken by her family before and after delivery. After reviewing the circumstances surrounding her death, the committee concluded that Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital failed to fulfill its responsibility by not admitting the patient when she sought care.

Following her death, the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) sent an official letter to the superintendent of Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, requesting detailed information about the doctors who were involved in treating the woman.

While Dr Dhananjay Kelkar who previously refused to accept the allegations of advance payment acknowledged that the gynaecologist had asked the woman’s family for an advance payment before admitting her going so far as to add an extra box on the case paper specifying a Rs 10 lakh deposit, he also claimed that the hospital has no such policy or system in place to demand advance deposits.

“There is no system in our hospital where doctors are supposed to ask for deposits. I don’t know what came into the doctor’s mind that day, but he wrote ₹10 lakh in a box on the admission form. This is not our practice,” Dr Kelkar told HT. 

Speaking at a press conference, Dr Kelkar told TOI, "We never write down the estimated advance on the patient's case paper. The doctor attending to the deceased woman last month did so perhaps because stars were not in his favour at that particular time. He made a box and mentioned a ‘deposit' of Rs 10,00,000. None of the doctors ever write a deposit amount on the case paper. If any doctor wants to seek any deposit, the billing department, along with the doctor, talks to the patient's relatives as to how much of the estimated cost they can pay."

On queries related to the patient being denied admission, Dr Kelkar said that committees were conducting their inquiry and the administration has responded. “An advance deposit is generally asked in cases where the hospitalization cost that would be incurred would be more than Rs 5 or Rs 10 lakh or above. However, when I received a call from the patient’s relatives, I told them to pay what they could and they would manage the costs later.

The patient was not denied admission. Also, on no account was the suggestion to get admitted to Sassoon General Hospital meant to undermine any kind of services there. We doctors have learned from B J Government Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital. The hospital has one of the best neonatal intensive care units and hence the doctor had in all likelihood suggested Sassoon General Hospital,” Dr Kelkar said.

While addressing reporters, he said, "The odd insensitive behavior of doctors and staffers could be attributed to the overcrowding at the facility. We are training the staffers to talk to patients and relatives politely. Be it a govt or a private hospital, overworked employees tend to lose sensitivity. We will be training our staffers to avoid it."

When asked about why the hospital took steps only after pressure from the public, Dr Kelkar said, "The pressure is not on me but on Dr ***. I can only answer about what I did. We have not violated the patient's privacy but have only mentioned the timeline of events as it happened. We have not given ourselves any clean chit but only given our explanation on the incident. The committee is working on a fast-track method and so we should not jump to any conclusion. We always follow all the norms laid by the Charity Commission."

Taking the serious note of the incident, the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered an inquiry through a committee under the chairmanship of the Joint Commissioner of Charity, while another probe is being conducted by the Public Health Department.

IANS reported that the Maharashtra State Commission for Women chairperson, Rupali Chakankar, declared that the instructions have been issued to the Pune Municipal Commissioner to conduct a detailed inquiry. Thereafter, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)’s Health Department has issued a show-cause notice to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital over the matter.

The members of the BJP's women's wing allegedly barged into the clinic run by the gynaecologist's mother in Kothrud last week and damaged property, police said.

Incidentally, the preliminary report prepared by the five-member inquiry committee chaired by Deputy Director Pune circle Dr Radhakishan Pawar has blamed the hospital for the violation of provisions from the Hospitals Act by not giving primary treatment and later referring the case for further treatment.

According to the committee, the hospital has also violated the provisions of the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950, which clearly mentions that in an emergency, the Charitable Hospitals must attend to the patient immediately and provide essential medical facilities for all life-saving emergency treatment and procedure, toll stabilisation. The reports of two more committees have yet to be prepared.

Meanwhile, the Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar claimed that, “Dr ** has resigned to shirk his responsibility, and now the search for a loophole is underway. What exactly is the government waiting for? Does it want to find some loopholes again or simply give a clean chit? Whoever is responsible in this case, be it the doctor or the hospital administration, a case must be registered against them.”

The NCP SP MP Supriya Sule alleged that the woman's death is a murder. “Dr *** has resigned. However, we do not want his resignation, we demand that the government take immediate action in this matter. The report of this matter has come, and the hospital has also been blamed, so a case should be registered against all those involved in this matter,” she said.

The Maharashtra State Commission for Women chairperson, Rupali Chakankar, said that based on the evidence and investigation, it is clear that the staff of Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital wasted 5.5 hours without providing medical treatment, leading to excessive blood loss and death. “If initial medical attention had been given to her might have been alive today,” she said.

Also read- Denied Admission over Rs 10 lakh demand, Pregnant woman dies