Man With Hearing Impairment Tricked Into Sterilization Under Guise Of COVID-19 Vaccination

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.

The incident happened in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, reported News 18. Police said the victim Dhruv Kumar was approached by local health worker Neelam Kumari, who offered him her assistance to get him vaccinated. She then took him to the district government hospital.

However, unbeknown to Dhruv or his relatives, Neelam Kumari enrolled his name under the list of men who are being sterilized. The family of the victim alleged that the health worker did so to achieve her target set as part of World Population Day on July 11. Every health worker who clears the target will be given incentives for promoting sterilization.

In India, sterilization drives are held in many states, and men are encouraged to undergo vasectomy as part of the country's measures to control population growth.

According to the victim's brother Ashok Kumar, who filed a police complaint, they trusted Neelam Kumari when she approached the family seeking permission to take Dhruv for vaccination.

"My wife and I are uneducated and do not know about the procedures of getting COVID-19 vaccinations. She claimed that if my brother would go for vaccination along with her, he will be getting Rs 3,000 ($40)," Ashok Kumar told The Times Of India. He alleged that Neelam Kumari asked for their bank documents and identification papers, which they handed over to her.

An hour later, she sent him back home alone. However, Dhruv fell unconscious after reaching home, following which the family took him to a nearby hospital, Ashok told the media outlet.

A doctor who consulted him informed the family of the sterilization procedure. "I do not know the details of the entire matter. But the sterilization procedure cannot be done on an unmarried man," a senior doctor told The Times Of India.

The matter has now come to the attention of district health officials who are investigating the matter.

A police complaint on unlawful sterilization has also been filed. "The matter has been brought to the notice of senior official. It is an alleged case of medical negligence. Required action will be taken on the basis of the health department's findings," a police official told the news outlet.