703 Unwanted Hysterectomies in Bihar: HC allows plea seeking CBI Investigation

Patna: In the latest update regarding the infamous 2012 Uterus scam in Bihar, the Patna High Court has allowed a plea to make the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) a party in the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) involving the case.

In fact, there is a possibility that the Bureau might take up the case for investigating the scam. The confirmation regarding this came from a counsel for the petitioners, Dinu Kumar.

He further informed HT that the matter would be heard next on Monday.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported about the scam, the history of which goes back to 2012. Back then, reports revealed that medical practitioners had operated out the uterus of 703 Below Poverty line women in order to claim money under the health insurance scheme.

In the year 2016, Bihar human Rights Commission (BHRC) had directed the State Government to pay Rs 18 crore as compensation to the identified 703 women. The compensation was decided at the rate of Rs 2.5 lakh each to the victims in the age group of 20-40 years and Rs 1.5 lakh each to the rest of them. The 703 women reportedly include a 20 years old, 103 women in the age group of 20-30 years and 288 women between 30 to 40 years, all of whom were in the reproductive age group but now are unfit to attain motherhood on account of the hysterectomies.

Also Read: Bihar: Doctors To Pay Rs 3.51 Crore For Performing Unwanted Hysterectomies

However, this amount had been reduced by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who had revised the amount of the said compensation to Rs 50,000. At that time, the State had directed the Home Department officials to recover the amount from the accused doctors. The state health department as per the directions of the CM has written to the district civil surgeons to identify the doctors from whom the compensation amount has to be recovered.

While probing the matter, the DM had reported that the removal of uterus of the 703 women was not medically required to treat their ailments which were as trivial as abdomen pain. The said operations were conducted under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana initiated by the Centre in 2008, a scheme under which unorganised workers are provided with cashless health insurance cover. Private medical practitioners and hospitals across different districts of Bihar were paid insurance money of about Rs 1,500 to 2,000 each for 46,690 uterus removal surgeries in 2012, of which these 703 were found unwanted by probe.

Following the DM's probe, FIRs had been lodged against 13 doctors and 33 hospitals soon. However, no arrests were made as they either obtained bail or were reported as absconding in the police files.