Thread by @sakie339

Hebbalagere is a village of 500-odd households about an hour’s bus ride from Chitradurga, There were recent reports (2014) of a spate of hysterectomies largely among the Koracha community in the village. A discussion was held with about 15 women in the village (1)

When asked the reason for a sudden spurt in hysterectomies in their village, one woman whose mother in law had died more than 10 years ago of cancer of the uterus explained how her mother in law’s suffering had created a lot of fear among the women (2)

“Four years after menopause she started bleeding and started having bili muttu. After a month of treatment in Holalkere we went to birur GH to see Dr. Dayanand. He said it was cancer. He said it can’t be operated or melted using current and said she will live for 6 months. (3)

We went to temples, did naati aushadi.. we even went to Kidwai also... But she passed away. After my mother in law died another woman who had similar problems went and got her uterus removed. She got well and recovered. So everyone felt that this operation was a solution”. (4)

“Doctors say bilimuttu can cause cancer. I was very scared. So I decided to go for this operation. My SIL has also got it done”. In addition some women also said that hysterectomy freed them from the hassle of managing menstruation every month: (5)

“Demand” created out of ignorance seemed to be capitalized on by the medical fraternity who seem to be asking women to bring in more “cases”:

“Through one of the women in the village who has undergone hysterectomy) some 15 women have got undergone the operation. (6)

All except one woman had undergone hysterectomy in Birur General Hospital, by one particular doctor. Women said that this doctor did not himself do the surgery but would keep them engaged in conversations while the actual surgery was done by a younger doctor. (7)

What was striking was that women had no information about their condition, its underlying causes, the modes of treatment and ways to prevent it. “Doctor does not even touch and examine. He first just sends for scanning'. (8)

The minute you go in, he asks you to go to the opposite scanning centre. He does not say why or what the problem is. After the scanning he says “you need operation...otherwise you will get cancer”. After scanning you have to do blood test, urine test and heart test. (9)

"You can’t have any clothes on during the operation. There is no screen.. nothing. They make you lie down. Before the operation, you have to strip off all your clothes and go completely naked. Then they ask you to go to the operation theater which is across like a corridor". (10)

The OT is full of men- doctors and attenders. Women nurses are there. But they are not helpful or supportive. If we try to cover ourselves with a sheet, they shout: hey! Dint I say remove all your clothes? Drop that thing!” It is so humiliating. (11)

Women reported paying to the doctor on average Rs. 5000, ranging from Rs. 2000 to Rs.10000. This was excluding other costs related to medicine or blood. Payment to the doctor was non-negotiable and was strictly enforced. The doctor does not take money directly. (12)

Without paying there's no way women could get out.
"Earlier they used put the urine pipe for three days and then remove it. Do you know what they do now? They do not remove it till the time you pay. S I was wearing a nightie and dragging that pipe along in front of everyone"(13)

"It is horrible and hurts a lot. When I asked the sister to remove it she said she will not remove it till I pay. She said people just run away without paying".. Predictably enough, women had taken loan on baddi at 5% interest from local money lenders. (14)

One of them said the family had pawned their two- acre land.
Two more women reported serious post-operative complications. One of them said she had developed Jaundice after the surgery and spent Rs 50000 to get better. (15)

A 26 year old woman whose Hb was 9.6 when she underwent hysterectomy in March 2013. After the surgery she started passing urine without her knowledge. “I am constantly passing urine. I don’t even know how it happens. Now I have burning sensation and tired all the time. (16)

The ages of women who had undergone hysterectomy ranged from 26 years to 40 years (17)

"During a 30-month period, the four institutions are said to have removed the uterus of women, often without medical justification and allegedly for entirely commercial reasons."
thehindu.com/news/national/… (18)

"Increasing privatisation of the public health system and the rise of the unregulated commercialised private sector has moved the discourse of health from the human rights paradigm to the market paradigm".
ijme.in/articles/insti… (19)

"NHRC has issued notices to Karnataka and Maharashtra governments. The notices are over an unusually large number of hysterectomies performed on women. Allegations are that the procedures were performed for commercial gain and not health reasons".
indiatoday.in/india/story/na… (20)

@anithapailoor has done a detailed coverage. Worth a read. The government should stop turning a blind eye. Why is the Indian Medical Association and FOGSI so quiet on this? deccanherald.com/specials/insig…

@anithapailoor A PIL has been filed in the Supreme court by @Narendraprayas hrln.org/mass-hysterect…

@anithapailoor This was covered by @patralekha2011 Unwarranted hysterectomies among sugar cane cutters in Beed district thelancet.com/journals/lance…