India, Nov. 17 -- A growing number of charitable hospitals in the city have allegedly stopped issuing treatment quotations to needy patients, effectively preventing them from accessing free or subsidised healthcare under the Indigent Patients Fund (IPF) scheme, health officials said.

According to data shared by authorities, more than 50 complaints have been received in the past two months from patients who were denied quotations by charitable hospitals in Pune.

Maharashtra has 600-plus charitable hospitals - 58 in Pune, 74 in Mumbai and 468 across other districts. Under the IPF scheme, framed by the Bombay high court and implemented in September 2006, all charitable hospitals must allocate two per cent of their gross billing to support ...