Sadananda Gowda feels heat of demonetisation as Karnataka hospital refuses to release brother's body

Union minister Sadananda Gowda had to face the heat of the note ban on Tuesday in a very tragic situation. Gowda’s brother DV Bhaskar Gowda passed away after a brief illness on Tuesday at a private hospital in Mangaluru and the administration declined accept the payment in old currency notes. The hospital declined to release the body until the payment was made in an alternative form. [caption id=“attachment_2760130” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  DV Sadananda Gowda. PTI.[/caption] Union Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation, and former Karnataka Chief Minister felt the pinch of the demonetisation scheme launched by his own government when Kasturba Manipal Hospital (KMC) in his hometown denied to accept the full and final payment of Rs 48,000 in old currency notes. The minister, who had rushed to his hometown after hearing of his brother’s demise, finally had to write a cheque to clear the payment and get the body released, according to News18.  The minister, miffed at the treatment meted out to his family first pleaded with the hospital administration to process the payment. But when the administration denied to release the body, he took a written declaration from the hospital staff that they have refused to accept old currency notes for the payment.  He has asked the local BJP functionary to submit a report on the inconvenience caused to public as private hospitals refused to take notes.  “If this is how you behave with a central minister, what happens to the common man who comes for treatment at a private hospital like KMC?,” a report in  India Today quoted him as saying. Gowda has also reportedly written to the prime minister to apprise him of the situation on ground and the problems faced by him, according to CNN-News18.  The hospital staff also confirmed the incident to  The Indian Express, stating that their action was in compliance with the RBI guidelines. However, a media executive for the minister denied that any such incident occurred, claiming that the minister’s family never tried to settle the bill in old notes, the newspaper reported. Bhaskar Gowda, 54, was a lawyer by profession and was admitted to the Kasturba Manipal Hospital 11 days ago, suffering from severe jaundice, according to The Times Of India. The minister broke the news of his demise through a tweet.

My Brother Mr Baskar was admitted in Hospital at #Mangaluru he passed away after brief illness .

— Sadananda Gowda (@DVSadanandGowda) November 22, 2016