In a city that prides itself on world-class medical care, a pregnant woman and her unborn twins became casualties not of disease — but of a system that places money above human life.
Tanisha Sushant Bhise, 30, was seven months pregnant with twins when she began bleeding and was rushed by her family to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital on the morning of March 29. But instead of being treated, the family claims they were met with cold calculations: a ₹5 lakh deposit immediately, and a total of ₹20 lakh for admission — ₹10 lakh for each baby.
Even as Tanisha’s condition worsened in front of their eyes, her family pleaded. They offered ₹2.5 lakh immediately. But the hospital, despite calls from local leaders and even the Chief Minister’s Office, allegedly remained unmoved. The patient was redirected to Sassoon General Hospital, a public facility often overburdened and under-resourced.
Panic turned into a nightmarish journey. With no ambulance offered by Deenanath Hospital, Tanisha was ferried from one hospital to another in a private car — from Sassoon to Surya Hospital, and then to Manipal Hospital in Baner. By then, she had already lost too much time.
She underwent a C-section delivery at Surya, giving birth to twin girls. But her condition deteriorated rapidly. At Manipal hospital, doctors declared her brain dead, and she finally succumbed to multi-organ failure at 11:58 pm on March 31.
“If Deenanath Hospital had admitted her immediately, she might have survived,” her devastated family told.
A Healthcare System Built for the Rich
Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital is known for its expertise in maternal and cardiac care. But what is that expertise worth if it’s not accessible to those in critical need?
This isn’t just a story about one death. It’s a story about systemic healthcare inequality, where private hospitals — many of them built on land and grants from public money — still turn away emergency patients over payment.
Let’s be clear: The law is on the side of patients. The Supreme Court of India has ruled that emergency medical care cannot be denied under any circumstances. And yet, time and again, private hospitals flout this principle with impunity.
What kind of country are we building where a woman in labour, bleeding and scared, is denied care because she can’t produce lakhs of rupees on the spot?
No Ambulance, No Admission, No Accountability
Tanisha’s ordeal is a mirror held up to the faces of hospital administrators, policymakers, and every citizen who has ignored how health has become a business of exclusion.
The absence of an ambulance, the hospital-hopping, and the callousness of systems that fail our most vulnerable — all point to a rot that’s deeper than one hospital. It is a moral failing of an entire structure.
The silence of Deenanath Hospital speaks volumes. The government, meanwhile, has yet to announce any action or inquiry into the matter.
As Tanisha’s twin daughters grow up without their mother, the question remains: Who will be held responsible?
