Pregnant woman’s death: Hospital violated norms by demanding deposit, says state panel
Hindustan Times reported on Monday that the probe panel had found lapses on the hospital’s part and recommended that the Pune police take necessary action
The committee probing the death of a pregnant woman—allegedly denied admission by Pune’s Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital (DMH) for not paying a ₹10 lakh deposit—has held the hospital guilty of violating norms that prohibit charitable hospitals from demanding advance payments in emergency cases.
Hindustan Times reported on Monday that the probe panel had found lapses on the hospital’s part and recommended that the Pune police take necessary action.
The four-member panel, headed by Joint Director of the state health department Dr Radhakishan Pawar, discussed its findings with the Pune police on Monday. State women’s commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar was also present.
Tanisha Bhise, the wife of BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe’s secretary, was allegedly denied admission at DMH due to the demand for a ₹10 lakh deposit. She later died at another hospital after giving birth to twin daughters.
The state government had ordered a formal inquiry by a health department panel. “As per the scheme for charitable hospitals under the Bombay Public Trust Act, in an emergency, the patient must be admitted immediately and provided life-saving treatment until stabilised,” the report stated, noting that DMH had violated this rule.
The report, a copy of which the Hindustan Times has seen, recommended action against the hospital by the Charity Commissioner. A separate investigation by the Maternal Death Review Committee is ongoing. A parallel probe by a committee appointed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will also submit its findings soon.
According to the findings of a four-member panel, Bhise was seven months pregnant with underweight twins and had been advised urgent NICU care for at least two to two-and-a-half months. DMH reportedly informed the family that the treatment would cost ₹10–20 lakh. The patient’s relatives asked for treatment to begin while they arranged funds, but the hospital insisted on advance payment before admission.
The hospital claimed in its report that the patient left after five-and-a-half hours without informing the management. However, the panel found this explanation lacking.
“Under the Maharashtra Nursing Home Registration Act, hospitals are required to provide golden-hour treatment without considering the patient’s financial capacity. They must also arrange transportation to another hospital if required. These duties were not fulfilled by DMH,” the report said.
The panel further noted that DMH, being a registered charitable institution, is obligated under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950, to admit and treat emergency patients without demanding a deposit. If referral is necessary, it must be done with proper care and documentation — which the hospital failed to do.
“The hospital made no effort to initiate treatment or offer a referral. This negligence directly contributed to the loss of life,” the report concluded.
State Women’s Commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar slammed the hospital for not providing care despite the patient suffering heavy bleeding.
“This is a serious charge. DMH was expected to begin treatment immediately, but no medical care was provided. The family was asked whether they had any medicines to stop the bleeding. If treatment had been given on time, Tanisha could have been saved,” Chakankar said.
PMC to submit audit report
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has completed its Maternal Death Audit (MDA) of the 37-year-old woman, officially registered as Tanisha alias Ishwari Sushant Bhise. The report will be submitted to the state government on Tuesday.
PMC officials said that both the civic body and the Regional Death Audit Committee of the state public health department reviewed the death using the standard ‘three delays’ model — delay in seeking care, reaching a facility, and receiving care.
“In this case, the audit found no delay on these three fronts,” a senior PMC official said, on condition of anonymity.
