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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