Indian currency ban has been controversial. And, this makes it even more so. A newborn died after the doctor had refused to accept payment in older notes.
A part of the population is jubilant about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bold step to curb black money. Another part of the population, however, believes the step is poorly planned and badly affects the lower economy class. This incident may be enough to fuel the fire of controversy once again.
The Reserve Bank of India banned all old notes with 500 and 1,000 denominations on Nov. 8, with effect from midnight Nov. 9. The government, however, gave instructions to a number of bodies to accept older notes to avoid mass harassment. While the official exchange of older notes stopped for most places, hospitals were allowed to receive it.
This incident took place in Govandi in eastern Mumbai. Jeevan Jyot Hospital and Nursing Home, run by Dr. Sheetal Kamath, refused to accept the payment with older notes from Jagadish Sharma. Sharma, a carpenter by profession, admitted his wife Kiran to the hospital. She was heavily pregnant.
Kiran eventually gave birth to a premature baby, weighing just 1.6 kg. The baby needed to be put in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Mumbai Mirror reported. But, Dr. Kamath refused so as Sharma could not pay the entire bill worth INR 6,000 (less than $100) with smaller notes. Moreover, all the banks and ATMs in the country were closed for the day as a result of the Indian currency ban.
Dr. Kamath eventually released Kiran and her newborn baby. The baby became critical on Nov. 11. Sharma rushed to another doctor with his wife and baby. But, they kept waiting for their turn, and the baby died.
Sharma has lodged a legal complaint against Dr. Kamath. The complaint has been forwarded to the Maharashtra Medical Council. This is not the only incident where a hospital refused old notes. According to the Times of India, all major private hospitals did so after the Indian currency ban.
