Sanatan Prabhat > Location > Asia > India > Maharashtra > Sanatan Prabhat Exclusive : Rs 4,300 crore ‘Poor Patients Fund’ collected in 2023-24 but only 3-4% used for treatment

Sanatan Prabhat Exclusive : Rs 4,300 crore ‘Poor Patients Fund’ collected in 2023-24 but only 3-4% used for treatment

  • Charitable hospitals cheat the Govt of Maharashtra

  • Report by Pritam Nachankar, Mumbai

Mumbai – In the fiscal year 2023-24, a substantial ‘Poor Patients Fund’ of Rs 4,300 crore was collected by 458 charitable hospitals across the State. However, the daily ‘Sanatan Prabhat’ has received shocking information from an official that only 3-4% of it have been used for patient treatment. Despite the State Government’s directive to use this fund to provide free and subsidised treatment to poor and needy patients, most charitable hospitals in the State are flouting the Government’s orders. Thus, charitable hospitals in the State are blatantly defrauding the Government.

Charitable hospitals receive a 30% income tax concession from the Government to ensure free and subsidised treatment for poor and needy patients. Due to this concession, a major hospital in the State gained a financial benefit of Rs 2 crore in the previous fiscal year. Additionally, the Government also provides separate concessions on electricity and water bills. Many charitable hospitals in the State exploit these concessions but do not extend the benefits to poor patients, which is a fact.

How are the funds collected ?

In this scheme, each charitable hospital is mandated to set aside 2% of the total patient billing amount as the ‘Poor Patients Fund.’ Free and subsidised treatment is provided to poor and needy patients from this fund.

Non-compliance in new branches

When a charitable hospital opens a new branch, it is mandatory to provide treatment to poor and needy patients under this scheme. However, the Government has discovered that some hospital branches are not offering this concession. The State Level Special Assistance Cell, established to verify if poor and economically weaker patients are receiving free and subsidised treatment in charitable hospitals, has uncovered these malpractices.

Creation of the scheme

This scheme was implemented in Maharashtra due to the efforts of Advocate Sanjeev Punalekar, National Secretary of Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad. In 2004, Advocate Sanjeev Punalekar took his ailing father, the late Gajanan Punalekar, to Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai. Despite inquiring, they did not receive treatment under the Government concessions. Advocate Sanjeev Punalekar wrote letters to Jaslok Hospital and several other hospitals, seeking information on the treatment provided to poor and needy patients, but did not receive a response from any hospital. Consequently, he filed a petition in the Bombay High Court. Based on this petition, the Court appointed a committee of experts, who recommended that the Maharashtra Government create a scheme for providing free and subsidised treatment to poor and needy patients in charitable hospitals, leading to the creation of this scheme.

Currently, many hospitals are focused on financial gains and are ignoring this scheme. Therefore, the Government needs to take strict action against these hospitals. To implement this scheme, the Government has established a State Level Special Cell under the jurisdiction of Law and Judiciary Department which is handled by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Through this, the Government needs to take strict action against hospitals that do not provide the benefits of this scheme.

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