Death of newborn: Maha orders pvt hospitals to accept cheques

Maharashtra government today asked private hospitals to accept cheques from patients in case of emergency treatment.
The development comes after the death of a newborn boy after being allegedly refused treatment at a private hospital since the family had the scrapped Rs 500 notes to pay the bill. A police case was registered against a Govandi doctor over the death.
The state government has issued strict instructions to all private hospitals of the state to accept cheques from patients in case of emergency treatment, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.
"Health Department officials are keeping a close watch on the situation round the clock so that no inconvenience is caused to citizens of Maharashtra," Fadnavis tweeted.

"And if any person comes across any kind of difficulty or non-cooperation from any hospital, he can dial our helpline number 108 for help," the Chief Minister said.
"Patients or relatives are requested to note phone/mobile number of concerned person of hospital who must be contacted for acceptance of cheque," he said.
Fadnavis also decided to reimburse an amount upto Rs 10,000 per patient from Chief Minister's Relief Fund, in case the cheque given to the hospital is bounced.