India News | Pune Hosp Refuses to Release COVID-19 Victim's Body, Probe on

Pune, May 17 (PTI) The Pune district health department on Monday ordered an inquiry against a medical college-cum- hospital in Talegaon Dahbhade over a complaint that it had allegedly held back a COVID-19 victim's body due to non- payment of bills.

The district administration has set up an eight-member committee of officials from the district health department, a doctor from BJ Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital, an official from Food and Drug Administration, the District Health Officer and the district surgeon for the probe against the medical college-cum-hospital.

"A complaint was received from Srirang Barne, Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MP from Maval, that the hospital management had allegedly held back a COVID-19 victim's body for three days due to bills not being paid," Ashok Nandapurkar, District Civil Surgeon, who is part of the probe team, said.

"The eight member committee will visit the hospital on Tuesday to probe the complaint," he added.

Speaking to PTI, Barne said a poor patient from Maval had succumbed to the infection recently, and despite the medical bill being paid through the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana, the hospital's management demanded more money from the dead man's kin.

He said the hospital should have alerted health authorities about the death rather than hold back the body for three days.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)