Posted By :  Admin1

Addressing growing concerns over the implementation of the Indigent Patients Fund (IPF) scheme, Pune’s district collector, who also heads the district monitoring committee, has issued a stern warning to charitable hospitals and private healthcare providers that they must not refuse treatment to eligible patients—even when their IPF account shows a deficit. The scheme, mandated since 2006 by the Bombay High Court, requires charitable hospitals to allocate 2% of their gross billing towards subsidised or free treatment for patients earning below ₹1.8 lakh annually and provide 50% discounts for those earning up to ₹3.6 lakh.

Despite charitable hospitals across Pune reporting nearly ₹95 crore worth of free or discounted treatments for over 86,000 patients in 2024, gaps in fund utilization and distribution have emerged. Officials noted that some hospitals exhausted their IPF allocations due to higher demand, while others saw eligible patients denied access or shifted to negative account balances. The district collector emphasised that even in such situations, refusal of care would not be tolerated. Hospitals were encouraged to continue serving indigent patients and report all complaints to the joint charity commissioner or collector’s office for prompt adjudication.

The state government is now rolling out reforms to streamline the scheme's transparency and accountability. A centralised digital platform will consolidate resources from all hospital payment streams, ensuring 2% contributions reached the fund promptly. In addition, the establishment of a toll-free helpline and deployment of medical social workers across hospitals in Pune and Mumbai aim to help patients access subsidised care within 24 hours of registration. These measures come in the wake of a high-profile case in Pune where a high-risk pregnant woman was reportedly denied treatment—an incident now under investigation by the Maharashtra Medical Council.