Over 80 women had been operated upon in five hours at Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur.
Medical negligence - a fallout of meeting government's sterilisation targets - is suspected to be behind the deaths of 11 women in Chhattisgarh.The woman had undergone tubectomy operations at a free camp organised by the government on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Chief Minister Raman Singh to ensure a thorough probe into the incident.
Here are the latest developments in this story:
Over 80 women had reportedly been operated upon in five hours at the government-run Nemi Chand hospital in Bilaspur's Pendari, around 110 km from state capital Raipur. On Monday, the women complained of pain and fever. So far, eleven women have died.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Chief Minister Raman Singh, expressing concern over the tragedy. A tweet from the Prime Minister's Office said, "The PM has asked @drramansingh to ensure a thorough investigation & action in the entire issue."
The Chief Minister has ordered an inquiry into the incident and the suspension of four health officials. He also said a First Information Report be filed against Dr RK Gupta, under whose supervision the surgeries were performed.
One of the suspended medical officers said free camps have targets to meet. "April to March there are annual targets, this was done according to that," said RK Bhamge.
"The daily target of a team is 40 sterilisations, but the number of operations held on Saturday was double that figure," admitted Block Medical Officer Pramod Tiwari, another of the suspended officials.
Free family planning camps are held between October and February as part of a larger programme to control India's billion-plus population. The state gives Rs 1,400 to each of the women who undergo the surgery.
Health officials have denied any negligence. Amar Singh, Deputy Director, Health, said preliminary examinations have suggested hypovolemic shock - rapid fluid loss after surgery that results in multi-organ failure - or a septic infection may be the cause of death.
The state government has also come under fire from the Congress and the CPI(M), which demanded that state Health Minister Amar Agarwal, in whose constituency the incident took place, resign.
The Chief Minister has increased the compensation for the families of each of the deceased from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh.
Mr Singh has also sought Central help for patients. A team of four doctors from Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences will go to Bilaspur on Wednesday. Sixty-eight women are in hospital, of whom three are critical. The operation had failed on 81 of the 83 women who underwent it.
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