Sangli hospital hides woman’s death to get extra cash from kin

Aadhar Healthcare in Sangli

A doctor from Sangli has been arrested for keeping a patient's body even after she had died to make extra money. The family was called only when the body started rotting. The matter came to light after the deceased patient Sayra Hamid Shaikh's son, Salim, collected her death certificate.

Shaikh took his mother to Aadhar Healthcare on February 24 after she felt giddy. "Doctors said she suffered a minor paralysis attack and suggested we admit her," Salim said. While Salim was told that Sayra would be discharged in two days, her health deteriorated. "She had trouble breathing and was shifted to the ICU in a semi-conscious state," Salim said.

"On March 1, my mother was given ventilator support. Then doctors said on March 3 that she needs to undergo dialysis," Salim said. After her dialysis, Sayra's relatives were told not to go near her to avoid infection.

(From left) Dr Yogesh Watharkar, owner of Aadhar Healthcare in Sangli; Salim Shaikh and his mother Sayra Shaikh. The hospital had initially generated a bill of Rs 2.15 lakh. Pics/Hanif Patel

"My mother was motionless and her eyes were shut. I thought she is resting. On March 10 afternoon, the hospital called me saying she has died," Salim said.

"My mother's body was stinking heavily and she was bleeding from her eyes, ears and nose. Her eyes had bulged out. I was alarmed and confronted the doctors but they just told me to take the body. I sensed something was wrong but was not in the condition to argue with the hospital," Salim said.

Also Read: Sangli scam: How did Covid-19 hospital with no trained staffers get municipal nod?

The hospital generated a bill of Rs 2.15 lakh but reduced the amount to Rs 1.83 lakh as relief for the Shaikh family. "The charges for the two extra days after my mother's death came up to around Rs 40,000," Salim said. He added that they could not properly bathe the body before the burial due to the stench.

Salim went back to the hospital on April 20 to get Sayra's death certificate. However, the document recorded the date of death as March 8 and not 10. With the help of local activists and an advocate, Salim submitted a complaint at Islampur police station.

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Inspector Narayan Deshmukh of Islampur police took the help of government medical officers to understand the matter. "We have learnt that Dr Yogesh Watharkar, owner of Aadhar Healthcare, kept the deceased's relatives in the dark for two days to increase the bill," Deshmukh said. "We registered a case of cheating and arrested Dr Watharkar on Wednesday," he said. Police suspect that Watharkar has cheated many others in a similar manner. Sources also told mid-day that a few other people too have come forward with similar stories.

Deshmukh said, "Aadhar Healthcare operated as a Covid hospital during both waves but during Sayra's treatment it was not operating as on. We are also investigating if Covid patients were cheated this way."

08 March
The date of Sayra's death on the death certificate

10 March
The date of Sayra's demise as given by the hospital