Doctor Allegedly Sterilized 101 Women In 8 Hours; Investigation Underway

In a shocking incident, a doctor allegedly performed sterilization procedures on 101 women in eight hours. The incident happened at a mass sterilization camp held in India.

Local media reported that women who underwent tubectomies belonged to the poor tribal village of Surguja in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, reported Hindustan Times. The incident reportedly happened at the local community health center between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. on Aug. 26.

The incident came to the attention of health authorities Friday, following which they launched an investigation against Dr. Jibnus Ekta, who allegedly conducted the surgeries. Another doctor, Dr. R S Singh, the medical officer of the district, is also under investigation.

"It is a fact there were 101 sterilization operations, carried out by one surgeon posted in Surguja. Fortunately, all women are healthy and sound but because the number of sterilization operations has crossed the stipulated guidelines, I am ordering an inquiry into the matter," a senior health official told The Hindustan Times.

The norms in India stipulate that a doctor can only conduct a maximum of 30 sterilizations in a day. Sterilization camps are conducted at many states in India to control the country's population growth.

Meanwhile, Dr Ekta claimed that he had been asked to do so by the villagers themselves. "He claimed he was pressurized by the villagers who told him that they had traveled long distances and it would be difficult for them to come again. This, however, doesn’t mean that the surgeon should flout government guidelines and therefore an inquiry has been ordered into the case," the senior official added.

Despite reports that the surgeries were carried out in the middle of the night, Dr Ekta has denied the claims, stating the surgeries took place between 12 noon and 6:30 p.m. in the evening.

In 2013, a botched sterilization camp conducted in the town of Bilaspur claimed the lives of 13 women. Then, 83 surgeries were conducted in six hours in an unused and unsanitary health center.

Recently, another incident was reported in India wherein a 40-year-old deaf man, who went in for a COVID-19 jab, was allegedly tricked into getting sterilized by a health worker. The incident came to light after the victim, a certified disabled man, fell unconscious on returning home after the procedure.