KALABURAGI: A high-level team of experts constituted by the state government to conduct a detailed inquiry into the high incidence of ‘medically unwanted hysterectomies’ reported in private hospitals in the district recently, visited the city.
The team comprising Dr A Narayan Bairi, Deputy Director, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Dr K.V. Malini, , Dr Sundari and Dr N.R. Suresh, Advisor, State Health Mission, Bengaluru, besides DHO of Kalaburagi, visited private hospitals which have come under the scanner, to gather details about the alleged “medically unwanted hysterectomies”. Later in the evening the team received representations from public as well as organisations.
The Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare has deputed the high-level team to investigate hysterectomies among Banjara women, which was brought to light by a study conducted by the Karnataka Janaarogya Chaluvali (KJC), an NGO working on women and child health.
There was a public outcry following the report by KJC that a large number of private nursing homes were involved in unwanted hysterectomies carried out among poor Banjara women.
In the wake of the report, the district health office had raided private hospitals. The study has revealed that most of these hysterectomies were not necessary and people living in tandas were made easy victims by private hospitals. KJC had intereviwed 76 of the 487 women who had undergone hysterectomy and of them 52 per cent were less than 35 years and 29 per cent were below the age of 30.
The modus operandi used by doctors to instill fear among the womenwho come with complaints of irregular menstruation was that their uterus was damaged or swollen or ‘filled with worms’ and would have to be removed. The study revealed a nexus between private hospitals and government health workers to get patients for hysterectomies when it was not required.
