Navi Mumbai civic body lodges FIR against DY Patil Hospital, threatens to seal

Mumbai: Trouble seems to be mounting for the DY Patil group as Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC)  filed an FIR on Tuesday against its hospital in Nerul for treating patients despite warned not to do so. In July, Income Tax Department’s raid of the group’s offices had revealed unaccounted cash and gold. On 30 September, the NMMC had cancelled the licence of DY Patil Hospital after it failed to renew its registration despite a six-month grace period, a senior official from the health department of the NMMC told Firstpost. [caption id=“attachment_3109014” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  DY Patil Hospital in Nerul. Image courtesy: Deepak Salvi[/caption] As per The Bombay Nursing Home Act, it is mandatory for every hospital and nursing home to register with their local municipal body in every three years. It is also required to obtain a no objection certificate from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to operate in the state. “We have filed a FIR against the hospital’s present dean Dr Shirish Patil and the DY Patil Hospital at the Nerul Police station on orders from commissioner Tukaram Mundhe,” the NMMC official said on the condition of anonymity. Laziness of DY Patil Hospital? According to the official, the DY Patil Hospital’s registration license expired on 31 March 2016. But the hospital management has not bothered to renew it yet. NMMC had informed the hospital of the same on 1 April 2016. The NMMC had also given a grace period of up to 29 September to the hospital to renew its registration licence and submit NOC certificate. But the hospital failed again. Hence, on 30 September, the NMMC cancelled the hospital’s registration licence, the official told Firstpost. A notice was issued to the managing trustees including Dr DY Patil, Ajeenkya Patil and Vijay Patil, but there has been no response yet. The cancellation of registration meant the hospital was not allowed to attend to or admit new patients from 30 September, however, it could continue treating patients who were already admitted, the health official said. But despite that the hospital continued to attend to new patients through its OPD section. It was then that commissioner Mundhe directed the health officer to lodge a FIR against DY Patil Hospital for illegally treating patients, the offiical said, adding that if the hospital fails to produce the NOC from MPCB then the police can seal the hospital. Mundhe has CM’s support The interesting thing is that according to our sources, two days ago Mundhe had travelled with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a helicopter from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai. It’s learnt that in those 20 minutes Mundhe explained the scenario of NMMC to the CM. Sources confirmed that the CM had given a green signal to Mundhe’s actions against the hospital. So, after running bulldozer on illegal buildings, _gaothan_s and unauthorised construction, Mundhe’s eyes are now fixed on the big fish. And the FIR against the hospital is a part of that, the official said. Repeated attempts to contact DY Patil Hospital dean Dr Shirish Patil failed, but commissioner Tukaram Mundhe confirmed that the corporation has filed a FIR against the DY Patil Hospital, and if the hospital continues to take new patients, it would seal the hospital as per rule. “I appeal to patients to not visit the hospital because it is operating illegally. Nobody is above the law. NMMC’s executive health officer repeatedly reminded them but they just ignored,” Mundhe told Firstpost. Nerul Police station Senior Police Inspector A Pol confirmed that a FIR was filed against the DY Patil Hospital and action will be taken soon.