Women who launched an indefinite agitation outside the office of Deputy Commissioner here on Monday demanding criminal action against hospitals and doctors who performed unwarranted hysterectomies, and compensation to the victims, called off their agitation by evening after the administration accepted some of their demands.
Around 600 women, mostly Lambani women from different Tandas in Aland, Kalaburagi, Chittapur and Chincholi taluks, majority of whom were victims of unwarranted hysterectomy, launched the agitation in the morning. The women sent back Sajjan Shetty, District Health and Family Welfare Officer, and insisted that the Deputy Commissioner come. When they were told that the DC was out of the district on official duty, they demanded the presence of the Regional Commissioner to explain in person the action taken. The situation got tense when the women attempted to barge into the district administrative complex. With police intervention, they sat down at the main gate, blocking entry and exit.
After a negotiation between the women leaders and Additional Regional Commissioner (ARC) in the presence of workers’ leader and former Labour Minister S.K. Kantha, two of the four demands were accepted for immediate implementation. Zahira Nazeem, ARC, told the women that the administration would immediately take steps for booking criminal cases against the doctors who performed unwarranted hysterectomies and ensure the complete closure of hospitals involved in the illegal surgeries.
As for the demand for compensation, an assurance was given that a committee would be formed with officials, experts and Karnataka Janarogya Chalavali representatives as members for identifying victims and paying compensation.
Four hospitals
The expert committee constituted by Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare in October 2015, had indicted four hospitals - Girish Noola Surgical & Maternity Hospital, Basava Hospital, L.M Care Hospital and Sudha Memorial Smruti Maternity & Surgical Nursing Home – for violating various sections of Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Act (KPME) 2007 and Rules 2009. Another enquiry committee appointed by Karnataka State Women Commission recommended criminal cases against the doctors and compensation to the victims.
Deputy Commissioner Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh has suspended the licence of the hospitals for six months. He also wrote to the Karnataka Medical Council on January 23, recommending disciplinary action against Dr. Girish Noola and Dr. Smita Noola, who conducted over 600 hysterectomies in two years violating laws. However, there was no response from the KMC so far. The activists allege that the indicted hospitals and doctors continued to function under different names.
