Raipur: Close on the heels of exposure of a string of unwanted womb removal operations in Aamir Khan`s TV show `Satyamev Jayate`, Chhattisgarh government has suspended registration of nine doctors for allegedly conducting surgeries to remove uterus without proper medical reasons.
"We have suspended registration of nine doctors. They have been issued show cause notices...The administration will take strict action in this regard," the state Health and Family Welfare Minister Amar Agarwal said.
Taking a cue from media reports published after `Satyamev Jayate` telecast instances of doctors carrying out such surgeries on women in Andhra Pradesh, the Chhattisgarh government had set up a committee to look into such cases in the state.
The committee found that many tribals women were operated upon for hysterectomy - operation to remove uterus - by some of doctors. As per its report, of 32 such surgeries, 22 were performed without examining other options.
"Prima facie it appears that the surgeries were done without valid medical reasons," the minister said, adding that the operations were carried out on women between 30-40 age group.
Generally, hysterectomy is conducted on women above 45 years in case they are diagnosed with diseases like cancer or other medical problems.
"The accused doctors have been given two weeks time to respond to the show cause notices issued by the department," Chhattisgarh Medical Council chairman Kamal Preet Singh said.
He said the Council will look into records of all private hospitals where such surgeries were conducted in the recent past to find out any wrongdoings.
The cancellation of registration bars a medical professional from practise unless it is revoked.
In a related move, the Chhattisgarh government has announced Rs 25,000 cash reward to individuals for providing information about sonography centres illegally conducting pre-natal sex determination tests.
State health officials have been directed to regularly inspect the registered sonography centres and take strict action against the unregistered ones, officials said.
PTI
