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Eleven Women Die in India After Botched Sterilizations

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Eleven Women Die in India After Botched Sterilizations

Government Pays Millions of Poor Women to Undergo Operations

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Women who underwent sterilization surgery receive treatment at the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences in Bilaspur on Tuesday. ASSOCIATED PRESS

MUMBAI—Eleven women are dead and dozens more were hospitalized after they underwent sterilization surgery as part of India’s population-control program—highlighting the risks of a government campaign that annually pays millions of poor women to undergo the operations.

Public-health authorities said the women suffered fevers and pain after a surgical team performed a laparoscopic procedure on 83 women Saturday at a hospital in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The deaths and complications are under investigation.

India has been trying for decades to control its growing population—now 1.2 billion—and sterilization operations remain the backbone of family-planning efforts in India. Around 4.5 million women were sterilized in the year ended March 31, 2013, according to government figures. Doctors often perform dozens of surgeries a day at sterilization “camps.” in a country plagued by a shortage of doctors and dirty, decrepit hospitals the government offers women about $10 to undergo the procedure. Doctors get paid about $2 per patient sterilized.


‘When one surgeon does more than 50 surgeries a day, that violates a woman and puts her at risk’

—Poonam Muttreja, of the Population Foundation of India


“This was a disaster waiting to happen,” said Poonam Muttreja, executive director of the Population Foundation of India, a New Delhi think tank. “When one surgeon does more than 50 surgeries a day, that violates a woman and puts her at risk.”

It isn’t clear how many people die or suffer complications from India’s sterilization procedures. In response to a question in Parliament in July, the Health Ministry said it had records of more than 350 people dying after such surgeries from 2010 to 2013. Public-health activists said they believe the actual number is much higher.

The Health Ministry didn’t respond to messages seeking comment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Twitter, expressed concern over the “unfortunate tragedy” and called on state officials to investigate and take action.

Thirty-four percent of more than 700,000 households surveyed across the country by the Indian government reported using female sterilization as their current family-planning method. Only 1% relied on male sterilization.

Less-permanent methods of family planning aren’t widely used. Fewer than 6% of households used condoms and 4.2% relied on the pill, the government household survey said. Bobby John, a physician who advises Global Health Advocates, a New Delhi nonprofit, said the deaths of the 11 women show the danger of relying on female sterilization, particularly when the public-health infrastructure is weak.

“All it takes is one bad infection, and it kills people,” Dr. John says. Ramanesh Murthy, medical superintendent of the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences, where women were being treated for complications, said the state had suspended four doctors involved in the surgeries and initiated a police investigation to find out what went wrong.

It wasn’t immediately possible to reach the hospital or the doctors involved in the surgery for comment.

Men can receive a payment of $20 for sterilization, which is a far less risky surgery. Still, in India’s male-dominated society, where masculinity is synonymous with ability to reproduce, men rarely opt for vasectomies.

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Women register for a free sterilization procedure at the Mohan Lal Gautam District Women's Hospital in Aligarh, India, in a file photo from February 2011. ASSOCIATED PRESS

“They were well-trained,” Dr. Murthy said of the doctors who were involved. “I don’t know how this happened.”

Amar Singh Thakur, a physician and the joint director of medical services in Bilaspur, the district where the weekend sterilization camp was held, said one surgeon had performed all the operations and that three other doctors were also suspended because of what he termed “a management problem.”

The government’s manual on sterilizations says surgical teams should do a maximum of 30 procedures a day with three laparoscopes, and not more than 50 regardless of the number of instruments.

Dr. Murthy said doctors in Bilaspur had performed minimally invasive laparoscopic, or keyhole, surgeries, which each take less than five minutes, and discharged the women the same day. The surgery closes the women’s fallopian tubes, which connect the ovaries to the uterus.

Many of the women who had undergone surgery began to return Monday with complaints of pain and fever, and by late that night, eight had died, he said. By Wednesday morning, 11 women were dead, while 69 were in the intensive care units of three hospitals in the district where the surgeries took place, according to Dr. Thakur.
 
Sterilization is not a life threatening procedure at all. The quality of doctors is to blame. Not the number of surgeries(in this case max 50) a day.
 
dang,,,,,how did they make a mess out of simple tube ligations:hitwall:
its a pretty straight forward procedure,,,,,small incision just below umbilicus ,insert scope,,,visualize tubes,,,put bands/clips n cut...
btw takes much more thn 5 mins
Sterilization is not a life threatening procedure at all. The quality of doctors is to blame. Not the number of surgeries(in this case max 50) a day.

really:D
 
Sterilization is not a life threatening procedure at all. The quality of doctors is to blame. Not the number of surgeries(in this case max 50) a day.

Unlikely to have anything to do with the doctors or even the equipment (reports say that proper sterlisation wasn't done), the nature & speed of the deaths suggest problems with the medicine used. Even the supposed initial post mortem report suggesting infection as the cause is highly suspicious considering the speed of the deaths.
 
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Sterilization is not a life threatening procedure at all. The quality of doctors is to blame. Not the number of surgeries(in this case max 50) a day.

Do you knew what you are talking about . 50 surgery per day for a surgeon is just disaster. you cant even do 50 proper vasectomy per day and tubectomy take several time of that and is a lot more sensitive and a lot harder operation .
 
Do you knew what you are talking about . 50 surgery per day for a surgeon is just disaster. you cant even do 50 proper vasectomy per day and tubectomy take several time of that and is a lot more sensitive and a lot harder operation .
Things work differently in India. :D Come to Mumbai train station and you will know that 'This carraige can accommodate 120 persons' has a different meaning. :devil:
 
The doctor saying that it was the poor medicine provided by the government which caused the death of those women..

Unfortunate incident.. RIP!!
 
Quality of medicines and hospitials is now in a bottom level in rural areas :hitwall:
RIP
 
I am expecting some head to rolls over this, if not than BJP will be no different than Congress.
 
Things work differently in India. :D Come to Mumbai train station and you will know that 'This carraige can accommodate 120 persons' has a different meaning. :devil:
everywhere in the world it's reckless to do fifty tubectomy in a day for god sake every surgery at least take 20-30 minutes if you are fast.

it simply is showing your lack f respect for human life if you just go and do 50 surgery in a day . I don't even dare to do the stitching part that fast , just if each doctor work as a tractor for 10 hour a day it would mean every surgery in 9.6min without even a second break between the surgeries .
it show how irresponsible the doctor is and how problematic is the health system that can't do anything about such practices .
 
everywhere in the world it's reckless to do fifty tubectomy in a day for god sake every surgery at least take 20-30 minutes if you are fast.

it simply is showing your lack f respect for human life if you just go and do 50 surgery in a day . I don't even dare to do the stitching part that fast , just if each doctor work as a tractor for 10 hour a day it would mean every surgery in 9.6min without even a second break between the surgeries .
it show how irresponsible the doctor is and how problematic is the health system that can't do anything about such practices .
You are correct in your assessment.
 
In any case involving basic breach of medical protocol, government doctors should be the last one to be blamed. Heck the only working element in govt hospitals are Doctors. They are one of the most daring persons in all the professions India has to offer. Why anyone will want to work in govt hospital in this country is beyond me.
 
Bilaspur Sterlization Deaths Incidence.

13 women out of 83 operations performed died within 3 days of camp and more than 50 are still serious !!!
Doctors have been suspended and made responsible for whole incidence.

Lets have view on the other side of the incidence.

1. Doctor is having more than 25 yrs experience.
2. Had performed about 50000 sterlization operations.
3. Post mortem reports show no flaws in surgery
4. It is the possibility that drug is having toxic products that cause so fast and severe reactions because sepsis to occur in short period of 2 days to the extent of death is rare possibility.

Doctor is suspended. Politicians and IAS who play the game of low quality medicines will be non-affected in long term ~ no severe punishment for them.
Medicine quality reports will be manipulated for sure.
Drugs used were generic drugs belonging to companies the name of which we never heard n supplied by son-in-law of minister.

Media have not shown this aspect of the incidence and whole country is blaming the doctors for it.
But why no action have been taken against the Government of state ,Administration, Politicians !!!
Doctors are made Scapegoats !!!

Where is Amir khan now?? Where is Satyamev Jayate ??

Its a very very big incidence and a shame on the health facility and Health Ministry of the State but our request is only that please punish each and every person who are responsible for the Incidence that may be Politician , Pharmaceutical Companies that provided drugs and Health Administration and Doctors too if they are responsible.But don't make only Doctors responsible without complete inquiry.

A request to all Medical and Non-Medical Fraternity to Share this post and have Justice to the family of womens who died and womens who are still going through medical complications.
 
In any case involving basic breach of medical protocol, government doctors should be the last one to be blamed. Heck the only working element in govt hospitals are Doctors. They are one of the most daring persons in all the professions India has to offer. Why anyone will want to work in govt hospital in this country is beyond me.
well said
 
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