DVS seeks to settle hospital bills with old currency

DVS seeks to settle hospital bills with old currency

Mangaluru: Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation D V Sadananda Gowda on Tuesday sought to settle hospital bills with demonetised notes to get the body of his brother from Hospital here.

However, the hospital authorities refused to accept the scrapped currency, which led to heated exchanges between the minister and the hospital staff.

Soon after Gowda heard the news of his brother D V Bhaskar’s demise on Tuesday, he arrived at the hospital to settle the bills and take the body. But when he said he would make the payment with the scrapped currency, the hospital staff refused to accept it even as Gowda argued that the government had allowed payments through the demonetised notes at public utilities till November 24.

The staff explained to the minister that only government hospitals were allowed to accept the scrapped currency.

However, Gowda insisted that the hospital authorities give in writing that they would not accept scrapped notes. The hospital did so promptly.

The hospital authorities reportedly told the minister that they would accept Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes provided he convinces the bank manager. They also suggested that he pay the bill through debit / credit card, or deposit the scrapped currency in bank and settle the amount through cheque.

District Health Officer Dr Ramakrishna also requested the hospital to accept the scrapped notes, but in vain. Later, the minister paid the bill through cheque and took the body to his native place at Devaragunda in Sullia.

The hospital bill came to Rs 13 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh was paid on November 9.

Later, the minister told media persons that he wanted to pay the bill amount in cash, but the hospital refused to accept the scrapped notes. “In spite of the government’s guidelines, the hospital refused to accept the scrapped notes. In such a situation, what would be the condition of the common man?” he asked.

He said he had asked the hospital authorities to give in writing the reason for refusing the scrapped notes and asked former minister Krishna Palemar and BJP district spokesperson Jithendra Kottary to collect the hospital’s letter. “Strict action will be initiated after getting the report from the hospital,” he said.