PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will convene a meeting of all private hospitals empanelled under the late Ajit Dada Pawar Urban Poor Health Scheme within the next 10 days following complaints that eligible beneficiaries are being denied treatment; municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram announced on Wednesday.A doctor listening to his patient's heartbeat with a stethoscope (Getty Images/iStockphoto)The announcement came during the PMC general body meeting wherein corporators and political leaders across party lines criticised the implementation of the scheme and alleged that poor patients continue to face difficulties in accessing treatment despite being entitled to benefits.Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) city president Dheeraj Ghate, leader of the house Ganesh Bidkar, Congress city president Prashant Jagtap, Baner-Balewadi corporator Amol Balwadkar, and corporator Sayali Wanjale raised concerns over the functioning of the scheme. They alleged that several empanelled private hospitals were refusing admissions, delaying treatment, and creating procedural hurdles for economically weaker patients.Citing a recent incident, Ghate said that a poor woman had called him at around 12.30 am after an empanelled private hospital allegedly refused to admit her under the scheme.“If a beneficiary has to seek help at midnight for admission to a hospital, it clearly shows serious shortcomings in the implementation of the scheme,” Ghate said, demanding immediate corrective measures.Corporators also called for the introduction of a single-window system for beneficiaries, a dedicated grievance redressal mechanism, a helpline and nodal contact number, appointment of a dedicated scheme coordinator, digitisation of approvals, and an increase in the scheme’s budget allocation.Several members pointed out that despite the PMC spending crores of rupees annually on healthcare initiatives, poor patients continue to struggle to access treatment. They alleged that beneficiaries were often forced to run from one office to another for approvals even as hospitals cited documentation issues and administrative delays.Responding to the criticism, commissioner Ram said that the civic administration had taken serious note of the complaints and would review the functioning of empanelled hospitals.“All empanelled hospitals will be called for a review meeting within the next 10 days. Complaints received against hospitals will be verified and their performance and conduct will also be reviewed during the empanelment renewal process. Appropriate action will be taken wherever necessary,” Ram said.He added that the PMC will examine all issues raised by corporators and citizens and strengthen accountability mechanisms to ensure timely treatment for beneficiaries.Assistant health chief Suryakant Devkar said that hospitals are registered with the civic body under the Bombay Nursing Homes Act and warned of action against institutions found violating the scheme’s provisions.“If hospitals are found violating the norms of the scheme, stern action will be taken against them,” Devkar said.About the schemeThe PMC launched the Urban Poor Health Scheme (UPHS) in 2010 and recently renamed it after late deputy chief minister Ajit Dada Pawar. At present, 159 hospitals are empanelled under the scheme.Families with an annual income of less than ₹1.60 lakh are eligible for benefits. The PMC bears treatment costs of up to ₹1 lakh per beneficiary, which can be extended to ₹2 lakh in cases involving critical illnesses.The civic body spends approximately ₹50 crore to ₹60 crore annually on the scheme.