A Special inspection squad will be formed to prevent healthcare services from being denied to needy patients, especially those who are sometimes turned away by public charitable trust-run hospitals as they are unable to pay deposits.
In a meeting held in Mumbai on Wednesday to review the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF), Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis instructed government officials to form a special squad in coordination with the charity commissioner, health department officials and a CMRF member to ensure that no hospital registered under public charitable trust refuses treatment to poor and needy. “The cell will monitor beds’ availability and occupancy of the beds in the respective hospitals,” a statement issued by the chief minister’s office mentioned.
According to the Charity Trust Rules, it is mandatory for hospitals to reserve 10 per cent of beds in hospitals for the poor and an equal percentage for weaker sections of society.
It was in this meeting that Fadnavis emphasised strict compliance with the rules that mandate the reservation of beds for the poor and weaker sections of the people. “A district-level committee should be formed to monitor the implementation of the rules. It will be compulsory for the hospitals to update details of beds, funds and treatment online,” Fadnavis stated.
On March 31, a seven-month pregnant woman died after the Pune-based Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital refused to admit her, allegedly because she could not pay a Rs 10 lakh deposit amount that the hospital administration demanded. In the wake of the tragedy, the recent directives from the Maharashtra chief minister assume significance.
Now, CMRF health services on WhatsApp
The chief minister has instructed officials to make all services under the CMRF available on WhatsApp, so that applicants can have access to all government health services and schemes on the go. As per official records, since December 2024, over R67 crore has been disbursed to more than 7600 patients under the CMRF.
