Demonetisation: Donation boxes at Mumbai hospitals flooded with 'illegal' notes

While demonetisation is making life tough for many, anonymous donors have actually been donating Rs 500 and 1,000 notes in donation boxes set up at public hospitals.

According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, 14 fund boxes at Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) in Parel were opened on Saturday. "We opened our donation boxes on Saturday, we had surprisingly collected Rs 1.5 lakh, mostly in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes," Humayun Jafri, the public relation officer of TMH told Mumbai Mirror. The report stated that the weekly collection from donation boxes placed across hospital premises ranges from Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000. "It is not that we have never got Rs 500 or Rs 1,000 notes. But this time, the numbers are much higher," Jafri told the paper further.

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Mirror reported that the situation was similar at KEM as well, where there are 40 donation boxes. Three boxes were opened on Tuesday. "We have got six notes of the demonetised currency from the three boxes. We are sure that the other boxes will yield more," Dr Avinash Supe, dean of KEM Hospital.

The report further stated that following PM Narendra Modi's announcement on November 8, many people started calling hospitals, asking if they would accept cash donations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. "In such cases, we are taking the PAN details and allowing people to donate. We are then depositing the money for patients' treatment. We are also accepting the demonetised currency from patients as we don't want to cause any trouble to them," Jafri further told Mirror.

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There has been a mad rush at ATMs and banks across the country ever since PM Modi's announcement of demonetising Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.