Death of 4 women due to botched-up FP surgery unacceptable: T'gana Guv

Hyderabad, Sep 4

Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan on Sunday said that the death of four young women after undergoing family planning surgery is not acceptable.

She said the health department and the government should ensure that such incidents do not recur.

The governor called on women who were undergoing treatment at a hospital for the infection after undergoing Double Puncture Laparoscopy (DPL) at a family planning surgery camp in Ranga Reddy district a few days ago.

The governor called on the women government-run Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad and announced financial assistance of Rs 10,000 each from the governor's funds.

Tamilisai, who is a physician, said four young women losing their lives for no fault of theirs was not acceptable. "The health department and the government should take care so that such incidents are not repeated and the infrastructure at government hospitals should improve so that every patient is safe," she said.

She said one or two women were very sick and demoralised. She said one of the women told her that for her son's education she underwent the surgery but all her dreams were shattered.

She said she learnt that the deaths occurred because of infection and because of the surgeries being conducted in a hurry. She, however, added that the cause will be known after the ongoing inquiry.

Tamilisai, who also distributed fruits among the women patients, expressed satisfaction over the treatment being provided to them. She directed the doctors to take better care of the women.

Four women died due to complications after undergoing DPL at the female sterilisation camp conducted on August 25 at Civil Hospital in Ibrahimpatnam in Ranga Reddy district.

They complained of acute gastroenteritis and died while undergoing treatment. Two deaths were each reported on August 29 and 30.

Authorities later shifted the remaining 30 women to Apollo and NIMS hospitals in Hyderabad. Some of them have since been discharged.

Health minister T. Harish Rao, who called on the patients at NIMS on August 31, has taken the incident seriously and has suspended the license of the doctors who performed the surgery. The government has also placed the superintendent of the hospital under lifetime suspension.

Harish Rao said the government has ordered an inquiry by Director of Public Health Dr G. Srinivasa Rao.