Raipur: Thirteen women have died and forty seven were hospitalised after undergoing surgery for sterilisation at a government camp organised in district hospital at Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district on Saturday.
Meanwhile, politics has taken centre stage over the tragic incident. The opposition Congress has announced a state-wide bandh to protest against the sterilisation tragedy. The Congress has demanded CM Raman Singh and state Health Minister Amar Agarwal's resignation.
"No lesson has been learnt from the past mistakes. It reflects the criminal mindset of the state government. Even after botched cataract surgeries cases in Balod, Bagbahra and Raigarh, uterus removal incident and now this tragedy during the tenure of Health Minister Amar Agrawal, he has yet not been sacked," party's state chief Bhupesh Baghel, told PTI.
"Chief Minister Raman Singh and the health minister should immediately step down from their post taking the moral responsibility for the incident," he said.
Giving details about the incident, District Collector Siddharth Komal Pardeshi said that 60 women were admitted to different hospitals after they developed post-operative complications at a sterilisation camp organised by the government at a private hospital in Pendari village on the outskirts of Bilaspur town on Saturday.
Taking serious note of the incident the Central government formed a five-member panel to probe the case. On request of the Raman Singh led Chhattisgarh government, the Union Health Minister has dispatched some doctors from AIIMS to attend the victims of the sterilisation tragedy.
The state health department has also formed a three-member panel to inquire into the tragedy even as four health officials, including chief medical health officer of Bilaspur, have been suspended by the state government.
The sterilisation camp was held in the home district of state Health Minister on Saturday. Organised under the family planning programme and as part of efforts to ensure maximum participation, each woman undergoing operation was to get Rs 1400 and the health worker bringing them to the camp was to get Rs 200 per case.
Expressing concern over the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked Chief Minister Raman Singh to ensure a thorough investigation and action against those responsible.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh had expressed anguish over the incident. He also visited the victims who were undergoing treatment at the Apollo hospital here.
The Health Department has decided to provide Rs 4 Lakh to deceased women's family and medical assistance along with Rs 50,000 to all patients.
At least 85 women were operated upon at the government-run Nemi Chand hospital in the Pendari area of Bilaspur as part of a family planning camp. Many of them later started complaining of pain and fever.
Reacting to the incident, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice president Rahul Gandhi conveyed their condolences to family members of those who lost their near ones and prayed for recovery of those undergoing treatment.
Rahul demanded Chhattisgarh government to take strict action against guilty and ensure best possible treatment for those in critical condition.
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