Ten women died and 14 were in a serious condition after botched operations at a government mass sterilisation “camp” in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, officials said yesterday.
The women fell ill on Monday, two days after surgery at a so-called family planning camp at a village.
Such camps are held regularly in Chhattisgarh and other Indian states as part of a long-running effort to control India’s booming population.
It was a serious matter of negligence. It was unfortunate
“It was a serious matter of negligence. It was unfortunate,” the chief minister of the state, Raman Singh, told reporters. Four officials have been suspended and an investigation will be held, he said.
The cause of the deaths was not yet clear, but officials said they were looking into several possibilities, including whether the surgical equipment was infected.
Some 83 women had laparoscopic tubectomy surgery at the camp, receiving incentive payments of 1,400 rupees (€18), said R.K. Bhange, Bilaspur’s chief medical officer. Health workers got 200 rupees (€2.60) for each woman they brought to the camp.
The incident will be an embarrassment for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has vowed to reform India’s health system. Modi, whose Bhara-- Janata Party rules in Chhattisgarh, expressed concern over the tragedy yesterday.
Workers of the Congress party, the state’s main opposition party, demanded resignation of the health minister and chief minister.