The family of a patient admitted at Ruby Hall Clinic had paid Rs 3.70 lakh from own pocket and garnered an insurance cover of another Rs 3 lakh, has managed to convince the charity commissioner to push their case to be considered under the Indigent Patients’ Fund (IPF), accordingly to escape paying the remaining Rs 9,500 of their bill.

The Charitable Hospitals’ Association (CHA) was shocked by this blind support given by the charity commissioner to an obviously undeserving case. The association has decided to take up with the authorities on their ability to detect genuine cases and make sure to take action against fake candidates, so that deserving candidates are not deprived of their right to discounted or free treatment under the scheme.

Pandurang Dhumal, a 50-year-old patient from Baramati, was admitted to Ruby Hall Clinic on July 14, with pneumonia and other complications, has betrayed the gap in the charity commissioner’s armour while approaching for the charitable hospitals to fall in line with the mandate under IPF as set down by Bombay High Court (HC). Surprisingly, despite Ruby Hall Clinic officials bringing the case to the notice of the office of the charity commissioner, they were informed to follow the IPF regulations to decide the eligibility of the case, instead of the authority to do a closer inspection of the case it had recommended.

Navnath Jagtap, deputy charity commissioner, told Mirror that the letters provided by the family for being eligible under IPF were in order and examining the documents rests with the hospitals. They had only followed the rules of the scheme as framed by HC and cannot go beyond that. If a hospital has suspicions about documents produced they can approach them, as it was done in Dhumal’s case. After the hospital explained on the details of the case they left it to their judgment to decide the application of IPF.

CHA is following on this matter as they are not appeased by this stand of the charity commissioner. The association has pointed out that the hospitals are under pressure with the load of fake cases staking claim to IPF cover. The charity commissioner has promised action against such cases and defeating the very purpose of the scheme.

Nancy Mariam, executive with the social service department of Ruby Hall Clinic, said that no one could make out from the apparel of the family members of the patient that they did not come from an impoverished background. They simply did not want to pay the full bill and hence sought cover under IPF. At last, they had to surrender and gave them a discount, so they had to pay only Rs 4,000, instead of Rs 9,500.

Ruby Hall Clinic’s chief executive officer (CEO) Bomi Bhote, also the president of CHA, insisted on that there is a need to have a filter in place to dig over such false cases. Bhote explained that they are going to write to the district collector and the charity commissioner on this matter, inquiring about how such cases are being forwarded for consideration under IPF. Mostly, the income certificates are false. Many patients also come with fake ration cards. No action is being taken against these things and the hospitals have to bear the burden of the anger of the family of such patients when treatment under the scheme is refused.