Juhu’s Cooper Hospital which is run by the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) has come under fire after an audio recording of the doctors demanding a bribe came to the surface. The issue came to light after Abu Bakar Gulab Khan, a resident of Gaondevi, succumbed to a heart attack on Sunday night.
Yusuf Jafri Ali Shaikh, who is the relative of the deceased was reportedly present when the doctors demanded the bribe. The officials reportedly told Shaikh that the death certificate may take up to 3 days to be issued. “First they told us the postmortem examination will take time,” Shaikh said.
The doctors also reportedly said that they will go through multiple hurdles due to the coronavirus pandemic. “The doctors said that would cause a further delay. They told us to either approach a specific private doctor to get a death certificate or our family doctor. Our family doctor was not available. So, we spoke to the private doctor, paid Rs 7,000 and got a death certificate,” Khan added.
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The audio recording was published by BJP MLA from Andheri West, Ameet Satam in a complaint filed with the BMC. A copy of the recording has been sent to the BMC commissioner Praveen Pardeshi. The MLA added that he will file a complaint with the anti-corruption bureau and urged for the culprits to be suspended.
Meanwhile, the Dean of Cooper Hospital, Dr Pinakin Gujjar, has confirmed that the hospital has started an investigation into the matter. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Health), Suresh Kakani said that the guilty will be prosecuted.
This highlights the ways in which doctors from state-run hospitals are currently taking advantage of the population. Private hospitals have been asked to reopen their outpatient departments as cases are currently overflowing in government assigned COVID-19 hospitals.
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