Maharashtra Govt Orders Charity Hospitals To Admit Emergency Cases Without Advance Payment
Mumbai: Stung by public outrage over the recent death of a pregnant woman denied treatment at a Pune hospital, the Maharashtra Law and Judiciary Department has issued strict directives to all charity hospitals registered under the Maharashtra Public Charitable Trust Act.
These hospitals must now prioritise emergency admissions and treatment for patients from poor and weaker sections, even in the absence of advance payments. The sweeping directives follow the findings of a state-appointed committee probing the death of 26-year-old Tanisha Bhise, who was turned away by Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital for failing to deposit a hefty advance of ₹10 lakh.
About The Recommendations
The committee, led by the Joint Charity Commissioner of Pune, has submitted a set of recommendations that the state has promptly begun enforcing. Under the new rules, all hospitals registered as charitable institutions must now obtain prior clearance from the Charity Hospital Relief Section (CHRS)—a dedicated cell at Mantralaya— for surgeries, treatments, and to allot beds reserved for the underprivileged. Hospitals are expected to admit emergency cases and immediately register them online, following which the proposal for assistance will be escalated to CHRS.
Though not compulsory, hospitals are also urged to enrol in state and central schemes such as Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jana Aarogya Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, and Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram. In addition, all hospitals must update the details of their Indigent Patients Fund (IPF) on the Charity Commissioner’s website, ensuring transparency in how much support is actually reaching economically vulnerable patients. Indigent patients are individuals who are unable to afford necessary medical care due to low income or financial hardship.
This term is often used in the context of hospitals and healthcare systems that provide free or low-cost care to those who cannot afford standard medical services. To clamp down on revenue leaks, the government resolution (GR) also directs hospitals to contribute at least two percent of the income earned from outsourced pharmacies and diagnostic services to the IPF. This move aims to boost the depleted funds meant for subsidised and free care.
Critically, hospitals have been barred from demanding unreasonable deposits from patients and are explicitly forbidden from denying emergency treatment, including to pregnant women, on financial grounds. Moreover, they may not insist on any documents beyond those mandated by the High Court or state government. These steps mark a significant shift in the state’s attitude towards star-category private hospitals that have long enjoyed substantial state patronage, including cheap land, tax exemptions, and waivers on utility charges.
In return, they were supposed to offer free treatment to patients with an annual income under `1.80 lakh, and concessional rates for those earning below `3.60 lakh—a responsibility that many were flouting with impunity.
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