Maharashtra Medical Council Issues Notice to Gynaecologist over Pregnant woman's death

Pune: The Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) has issued a notice to the former consulting gynaecologist of Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, who recently resigned following the death of a pregnant woman- wife of BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe's personal secretary allegedly after being denied admission due to the non-payment of a Rs 10 lakh advance deposit. 

In the notice, the council has directed Dr Sushrut Ghaisas to provide a detailed explanation of the events that took place on the day of the incident and has given him a deadline of four days to respond.

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

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the gynaecologist who attended to her and demanded the deposit before taking her admissions and starting the treatment, resigned. The doctor stepped down from his position at the hospital, citing intense public anger, social media backlash, and threatening calls as reasons for his resignation.

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.

This comes after 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.

Dr Vinky Rughwani, administrator, MMC, told TOI, "We received a detailed response from the hospital on Wednesday regarding the incident. Based on media reports and the hospital's statements to us, we have sent a notice seeking explanation from Dr Ghaisas on the entire episode on Wednesday itself. We have also sent the notice by post."

"We have given Dr Ghaisas four days' time to respond to the notice. We are expecting a reply by Sunday or Monday. We may even call him for a hearing as ours is a quasi-judicial body," added Dr Vinky.

Also read- Not to demand advance payment for emergency treatment: PMC tells Hospitals