Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital (ABMH), located in Thergaon in Chinchwad, Pune, has been accused of not cooperating with government officials who came to inspect the hospital.
The complaint was filed by the charity inspector from the Public Trust Registration office, Radheshyam Padalwar. The case has been registered against ABMH CEO Pamesh Gupta, General Manager Vaishali Pawar, and Sanchit Suryavanshi for misbehaving and causing hindrance to public welfare efforts.
An official from the Charity Commission of Pune said, “We went there for inspection, and the hospital administration was rude and uncooperative. They did not assist us with the documentation, threatened us, and behaved hostilely."
What was the inspection for?
Every charitable hospital is obligated to allocate 2 percent of their annual gross revenue from general patients to the Indigent Patients Fund (IPF) scheme for poverty-stricken persons. Additionally, they must reserve 10 percent of their operational beds for indigent patients and another 10 percent for patients from weaker sections of society. To check the effectiveness and implementation of these provisions, the Charity Commissioner's office in Pune formed a team, ordered by the state, to inspect whether hospitals are following the norms and regulations.
According to the FIR report, “To ensure transparency and effective implementation of these provisions, a 'State Level Special Help Room' has been established under the Law and Justice Department, as per the office order dated October 31, 2023. An inspection team, constituted under the authority of the Law and Justice Department's office order dated February 7, 2024, inspected Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital on June 26 at around 4:30pm. Upon arrival, the team was informed by Vaishali Pawar, the medical social worker, about our inspection. The team was then escorted to the hospital's conference hall where we awaited the hospital's administrative representatives. During our inspection, we encountered challenges in obtaining necessary documentation and cooperation from the hospital staff, particularly regarding the implementation of government schemes aimed at benefiting economically disadvantaged patients."
"Despite our official responsibilities and the urgency of our inquiry, our efforts to obtain the required information were met with obstruction and hostility from certain hospital staff members, including threats directed towards our inspection team. Such behavior disrupted our lawful duties and hindered the fulfillment of government directives. Therefore, I filed a formal complaint against the hospital administration seeking appropriate legal redress and ensuring that such impediments do not undermine public welfare efforts mandated by law,” the official noted.
FIR details
A team from the Charity Commission, Pune, on Wednesday filed an FIR against ABMH at Wakad Police Station.
Senior Police Inspector Kolhatkar, speaking to Free Press Journal, said, “A notice has been sent to the hospital, and we are investigating the case, levying charges of obstruction against the accused under relevant section of IPC, spanning seven years."
Hospital denies allegations
The hospital authorities have denied the charges, stating they fully cooperated with the inspection team from 4pm onwards, submitting all required documents. They contend that despite this cooperation, the team continued questioning staff, including female members, until 10pm.
"At no point did we obstruct the official work. Our actions have consistently reflected our commitment to transparency and cooperation. We remain dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of compliance and quality in our healthcare services at ABMH. We trust that the inspection committee will review our submission fairly, acknowledging our dedication to compliance and excellence in healthcare. We are confident that a thorough review will demonstrate our adherence to all required protocols and our unwavering commitment to serving our community with integrity," added the statement by the hospital.
