Less than 50% funds utilised under Central scheme for sterilisation in Madhya Pradesh

Hire beds, ensure women not made to lie on floors: NHM State Director

Sterilised women were made to lie on floors after surgeries due to paucity of beds and lack of separate wards, even though just less than 50% of funds earmarked under a Central scheme had been utilised, said an official of the National Health Mission (NHM).

“As there are no separate wards, maternity wards are made to accommodate sterilisation patients, who’re made to lie on the floors there. The rush is significant in winters during the lean farming period,” said the official, requesting anonymity.

Under the Centre’s Mission Parivar Vikas (MPV), each of the 145 high fertility districts in seven States with a total fertility rate of three and above receives an estimated ₹12.23 lakh. “We have sent the funds to the 25 districts under the programme in the State, but just less than 50% funds have been utilised,” she said. Meanwhile, reacting to reports of sterilised women made to lie on the floor in Vidisha, Chhatarpur and Shivpuri districts, NHM State Director Chhavi Bhardwaj said, “it must be ensured women patients are made to lie on beds.”

In a set of directions, she instructed centres in 51 districts under sterilisation programmes to make available required number of beds, mattresses, sheets, pillows and blankets from other wards or health centres. If need be, then they could be rented too. Special attention should be paid to privacy, anonymity and dignity of female patients, she said. “There should be curtains on windows of wards and male relatives and staff should not be allowed inside and photography and videography should be prohibited there,” she added.

Fact-finding operation

Last week, a fact-finding team of a legal aid group had visited the centre in Shivpuri district, where 40 sterilised women were made to lie on the floor, and found that though families were not allowed to visit patients, the door to the room was kept open for them to peep inside.

Although in an earlier order in November, Ms. Bhardwaj had said surgeries, in case of rush, may be carried out until 6 p.m., in the latest order, she said, “Procedures should not be carried out beyond 5 p.m. In no circumstance should they be carried out at night.” Warning of disciplinary action against erring official, she said there should be an emergency response team and an ambulance for all the centres and patients must must be dropped home free.

Earlier, the NHM, looking at an increased number of cases from October, had permitted each surgeon to perform 50 surgeries from 30 every day. They should take a half an hour break after 30 surgeries and operations theatre should be decontaminated in that period. According to the Reference Manual for Female Sterilisation of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the recovery room must be spacious and well ventilated, number of beds would be determined by the space available, should be adjacent to the operation theatre.