Death of pregnant woman in Pune: CM Fadnavis promises SOPs for hospitals; DMH announces ‘no deposit’ policy

After the death of a 37-year-old pregnant woman who was allegedly denied emergency treatment at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital (DMH), Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday vowed to take strict action against the guilty, while also announcing that the state government will soon introduce a Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for hospitals to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Tanisha alias Ishwari Sushant Bhise was allegedly refused emergency treatment due to ‘nonpayment’ of a ₹10 lakh deposit by DMH. She was later admitted to Surya Hospital in Wakad, where she delivered twin baby girls via C-section on March 29. However, her condition worsened due to postnatal complications, and she was referred to Manipal Hospital in Baner and succumbed to post-delivery complications on March 31.

Fadnavis met Bhise’s family and assured them that the government is taking steps to address the case.

“I met the victim’s family and assured them that action is not limited to this incident alone. A probe committee has been formed, and we are working on creating SOPs to avoid such incidents in the future. Directions will be issued to the charity commissioner about the same,” he said.

“We are working towards bringing all charitable hospitals under a single online platform. This will help track bed availability and allocation. Additionally, we plan to link these hospitals with the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund Cell (Health Aid) to ensure accountability,” he said.

‘No deposits from patients at emergency dept’

The DMH released a statement on Saturday and announced that it will no longer ask for deposits from patients during emergency cases.

Dr Dhananjay Kelkar, medical director of DMH, said, “When the hospital was established, we never took deposits from patients. However, as the hospital’s operations expanded and more complex, high-cost treatments became routine, we began collecting deposits in some cases.”

“The disturbing event made us revisit this policy. We have now decided that DMH will not take any deposit from emergency patients—whether they come to the emergency room for delivery or pediatric care. The board of trustees and management have passed the resolution, and it is effective April 5,” the statement read.

Fadnavis also denounced the actions of political and social groups that resorted to vandalism during protests at the hospital. “The government has taken cognizance of the incident. There is no need for such protests now. Vandalism and misbehaviour with hospital staff are unacceptable, irrespective of the party involved. The government will initiate appropriate legal action,” he said.