Mangaluru: The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) has alleged that private hospitals in the city are not accepting currency in the denomination of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 from patients to settle bills. In a memorandum submitted to K.G. Jagadeesha, Deputy Commissioner, Santosh Bajal, secretary, district unit of the DYFI, alleged that notwithstanding direction from the Union government to accept those notes, the hospitals were demanding currency of other denominations.
He alleged that hospitals were delaying discharge of patients in the guise of shortage of notes. Thus many patients were like under “house arrest”.
Muneer Katipalla, State president of the DYFI, said that a delegation of the DYFI had visited two prominent hospitals in the city and warned the hospital managements of launching an agitation if they did not accept old notes. Later, those hospitals relented and accepted the notes from some patients.
