Global Vikas Trust’s research highlighted that 71% beds in the free section and 92% beds in the weaker section remain unoccupied in major hospitals across Mumbai.
Mayank Gandhi, trustee and founder of Global Vikas Trust alleged that government hospitals are overflowing with long queues of patients while private hospitals are avoiding giving free beds and treatment to poor patients in spite of guidelines by the High Court.
Global Vikas Trust’s campaign Nation First led by Sanjay Parmar and other volunteers, has been working for many years to get poor patients admission and treatment in private hospitals based on High Court judgement to give their 10% beds for free and 10% of the beds at a discount of 50%.
The organisation’s daily tracking of beds in the private hospitals since December 2023 revealed that private hospitals are flouting these guidelines for many years while the authorities are helpless.
“Hospitals are charging so exorbitantly that one serious illness can reduce a middle class person to poverty. Profit-making is understandable, but not profiteering. Government must cap prices. We met the Charity Commissioner yesterday, seeking action. If there is no appropriate action, then together we need to escalate the matter,” said Gandhi.
