Surgery botch-up: AIIMS team visits victims, HC seeks report

A 7-member team of doctors from Delhi's AIIMS arrived here today to attend to victims of a botched sterilisation procedure at a state-run medical camp in Chhattisgarh that left 11 young women dead and 69 ill even as the state observed a partial bandh called by Congress.
The Chhattisgarh High Court took suo motu cognisance of the tragedy and asked the government to submit a detailed report on the incident within ten days, while appointing two advocates as amicus curiae (friend of the court) to assist it in liasing with the government.
The team from the prestigious medical institute visited various hospitals to inquire about the condition of the afflicted women and expressed satisfaction with the treatment they were getting.

"Whatever treatment is being provided to the victims is good," Dr Anjan Trikha, Professor of Anaesthesia at AIIMS, said during a brief interaction with mediapersons after visiting Apollo Hospital here.
When asked about the cause behind the deaths, Trikha said it can be established only after getting complete reports.
69 women suffering from post-operative complications after they underwent sterilisation procedure at a medical camp at Pendari village on the outskirts of Bilaspur are admitted to different hospitals.

Of them, condition of 14 at Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences and Apollo Hospital was critical and they were being kept in intensive care units. Altogether 52 victims are admitted to these two hospitals. Besides, 17 others were convalescing at Bilaspur district hospital.

The Chhattisgarh High Court, which took suo motu cognisance of the horrifying incident, in which 83 women were reportedly operated upon within a few hours at Nemichand Jain Cancer and Research Centre, directed the government to submit a detailed report within 10 days.
A division bench comprising justices T P Sharma and Inder Singh Uboweja, also appointed two advocates -- Salim Kazi and Sunita Jain -- as amicus curiae to assist it on the tragedy.
Questioning the state government on why such incidents are repeatedly happening, the bench asked it to submit a detailed report on the incident within 10 days, Kazi said.

The court also asked the government to provide best possible treatment to the afflicted women and take care of their relatives.
It directed the state government to apprise the amicus curiae on the day-to-day developments so that they can further brief the court, he said.
Meanwhile, a state-wide bandh called by main opposition Congress to demand resignation of Chief Minister Raman Singh and Health Minister Amar Agarwal passed off by and large peacefully, evoking a partial response.