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EIGHT WOMEN HAVE died in India and dozens more are in a critical condition after a state-run sterilisation programme designed to control the country’s billion-plus population went badly wrong.
More than 60 women are in hospital after suffering complications from the surgery over the weekend and 24 of them are seriously ill, authorities in the central state of Chhattisgarh confirmed today.
“Reports of a drop in pulse, vomiting and other ailments started pouring in on Monday from the women who underwent surgery,” said Sonmani Borah, the commissioner for Bilaspur district where the camp was held.
Since Monday, eight women have died and 64 are in various hospitals.
The government would investigate what went wrong, he added, as angry residents took to the streets of Bilaspur to demand immediate action against the doctors.
‘Women dumped unconscious’
State governments in India frequently organise mass sterilisation camps under a national programme whereby women are given 1,400 rupees (€18) as an incentive to undergo the procedure.
Under pressure to meet targets, some local governments also offer other incentives such as cars and electrical goods to couples volunteering for sterilisation.
Although the surgery is voluntary, rights groups say the target-driven nature of the programme has led to women being coerced into being sterilised, often in inadequate medical facilities.
Last year, authorities in eastern India came under fire after a news channel unearthed footage showing scores of women dumped unconscious in a field following a mass sterilisation.
The women had all undergone the procedure at a hospital that local officials said was not equipped to accommodate such a large number of patients.
The Indian Express daily said the surgeries in Chhattisgarh were carried out by one doctor and his assistant in around five hours.
The chief medical officer of Bilaspur R.K. Bhange told the newspaper:
There was no negligence. He is a senior doctor. We will probe (the incident).
The medical superintendent of the main hospital in Bilaspur where many women were admitted said it was difficult to say what could have caused the deaths.
“It would be premature to speculate on the reasons for this tragedy. We are giving priority to treating the woman admitted here as their blood pressure has gone down,” Ramnesh Murthy told reporters late on Monday.
“We will know the reasons only once the post-mortem is completed.”
A 2012 report by Human Rights Watch urged the government to set up an independent grievance redress system to allow people to report coercion and poor quality services at sterilisation centres.
It also said the government should prioritise training for male government workers to provide men with information and counselling about contraceptive choices, but despite the recommendations to the national government, problems persist on the ground.
India’s family planning programme has traditionally focused on women, and experts say that male sterilisation is still not accepted socially.
Government figures from 2008 show that around one third of the 54% of the population that reported using any form of family planning opted for female sterilisation.
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What purpose does it serve to let Micky swan around South America? Living the life of luxury while he preaches his Socialist Bullshit here in Ireland? Be gone you fool, we don’t need a president
They don’t call them Champagne Socialists for nothing.
‘Micky Swan’…. I shall be using that in conversation today.
Couldn’t agree more, if we want to send out trade missions then lets send out experienced business people, not this pointless twerp.
Business people! You must be joking. Look where they got us with their greed.
And this little pointless junket cost us how much?, more than some struggling families have to live on in a year. Time to cull these wasteful political positions. I’ve no doubt the President is a genuine and honest man, but we simply cannot afford the baggage while being picked clean by an inept political system stretching back decades.
What a waste of time and money
Agree. A total waste of money, and Joe Costello – Minister for Nothing, along for the ride, visiting a banana plant- how apt coming from a Banana Republic!
Glad to see the mentalists didn’t let this go. Head of State in foreign visit shocker! These things have been going on since the days of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Calm down, lads. This is part of his job.
Small man makes big impression.
Seeing as impeachment of presidents is in the news today , when will this president be impeached for failure to protect our Constitution?
Wake up Dail Eireann or loose your jobs !
It seems el Presidente has been on a global junket since being elected. I would be interested to know how much travelling he has done compared to previous presidents.
Just hope he’s not stopped at Dublin airport with a load of coke in his hair bun.
our president looks like Doc out of back to the future :)
An awful lot of angry red hands supporting Higgins and his junket. Genuine question, what would they have done if he had to fly back to nationalise debt as he did when at a gig in Rome some time back?
I wonder will he bring us back a parrot?
*La ultíma día* surely??
have your say