4 Pune District Hospitals Under MJPJAY Glare

Four hospitals in Pune district are among several across the state that have been served show cause notice for flouting provisions under the state’s medical insurance scheme for the poor – Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY). A hospital from Kothrud in the city, another at Talegaon Dabade, third at Saswad and the fourth at Barmati, were pinned for different reasons and payments to them under the scheme have been stalled until the complaints are resolved. MJPJAY covers about 971 surgeries, therapies and procedures, besides 121 follow-up packages in 30 identified specializations. The Pune district hospitals under scrutiny include Deoyani Multispecialty Hospital located at Kothrud, Sparsh Hospital at Talegaon Dabade, Raut Multispecialty Hospital at Baramatiand Dhanwantari Hospital at Saswad. Confirming this, the Pune district coordinator for MJPJAY, Dr Vaibhav Gaikwad informed, “Notices have been issued to these hospitals for different violations of the scheme. We have kept the complaints against them open and we will not clear their payments for the specific case or procedure until the issue is resolved.”

Several complaints had been received against Deoyani for halting its dialysis services, on the grounds that the state department had not paid earlier dues under the scheme. Patients who accessed the service under the scheme at the hospital found themselves in a quandary due to this attitude and approached the district office of MJPJAY, with their complaints. Accepting that there has been an issue, Dr Shrirang Limaye who helms Deoyani said, “Some patients faced problems with the dialysis offered by us and it is being addressed by the department. The hospital has been sustaining the service despite not being paid under the scheme for two-three months. It is not as if we earn huge profits in dialysis, but when even that meagre amount is not covered by the government it becomes difficult to run the center.” Sparsh, as per records, has been accused of denying treatment to a patient for a specific procedure.

However, dismissing it as a minor issue, Dr Amit Wagh, CEO of Sparsh said, “The authorities want us to consider a few cases under the scheme. However, they were not accommodated under the scheme as they had demanded private rooms, to avoid infections such as pneumonia and the kind. Once they avail private rooms, the procedures also happen considering them as private patients and not under MJPJAY.” The complaint against Saswad’s Dhanwantari is that it has been collecting money unethically. In one case it charged the patient as well as sought compensation under MJPJAY. The hospital administration could not be reached for their side of the story. Apatient was operated for kidney stone at Raut, under the scheme. However, after getting discharged the patient allegedly found the stone had not been removed and he continued to have the same problem as before the procedure. Efforts to reach Raut’s administration also yielded no result. The show-cause notice is only the beginning of processes, as Gaikwad explained, “If the hospitals fail to address the complaints and resolve them, the issues will be placed before the district collector and he will decide the action to be taken against the hospitals.” – Pune Mirror