Odisha: a bicycle pump used in mass sterilisations of women
Bhubaneswar (AsiaNews/Agencies) - A doctor on Friday used a bicycle pump on 56 women to inflate their abdomens as part of tubectomy operations at a health camp set up as part of the state's birth control programme.
Reports about the incident became public yesterday, sparking a renewed debate in the country. As a result, state authorities halted all mass sterilisation procedures.
Dr Mahesh Chandra Rout said that in Odisha (Orissa) bicycle pumps are a widely accepted sterilisation tool.
During sterilisation surgery, the patient's abdomen is inflated to create a space in which the surgeon can manoeuvre the instruments.
State officials said the use of atmospheric air, rather than controlled procedures using carbon dioxide, might lead to a range of health problems, including bubbles forming in the vein.
For Dr Rout, "bicycle pumps are an affordable and convenient alternative" and "is a common practice not just here, but all over the state."
In November, a similar case of mass female sterilisations became front-page news in India and around the world.
The incident occurred in Chhattisgarh. It involved 83 women operated in less than five hours, 14 of whom later died.
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