Another botched surgery case kills one; several hospitalised

RAIPUR/BILASPUR: In yet another case of botched sterilisation surgery in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district, a woman died and several others were hospitalised after undergoing tubectomies at government-organised sterilisation camps in the Pendra block, a senior district official said here today.

Apart from her, one more woman, who was operated at Pendari village camp of Takhtapur on Saturday, also succumbed at Apollo Hospital in Bilaspur this evening, taking the toll of botched surgeries to 13 in past three days.

"A tribal woman Chaiti Bai (34) operated at a camp in Pendra block on Monday died while being brought to Bilaspur this evening," Bilaspur Division Commissioner Sonmani Borah told PTI.

"Another woman called Shivkumari passed away after her condition deteriorated during treatment at Apollo Hospital," Borah said.

While of 12 of 83 women who were operated upon at Nemichand Jain Cancer and Research Centre at Pendari village of Takhatpur block on Saturday have died so far, Chaiti Bai is the lone casualty from the Pendra surgical camp.

The officer said around 56 women underwent surgeries at different sterilisation camps held under the national family planning programme in Pendra, Gaurela and Marwahi, located around 120 km away from Bilaspur district headquarters on November 10, two days after the Pendari sterilisation camp.

Chaiti Bai, belonging to Baiga tribe, was among around 20 women who were admitted to Bilaspur District hospital today after they developed complications following surgeries at the Pendra centre.

"As a precautionary measure, we are shifting all women who underwent surgery in Pendra to hospitals in Bilaspur," Borah said.

He said that 68 women, operated in the Pendra camp are already undergoing treatment at different hospitals of Bilaspur.