Women kept on open field after ligation in Malda district

In a shocking case, most of the 100 women who underwent ligation procedure at a sterilisation camp at a rural health centre in Malda district were abandoned in an open field adjacent to the facility. The Manikchak Rural Health Centre in Malda district, where the surgical procedure was carried out yesterday, was bereft of any minimal infrastructure required for the operation, attending nurses and health workers under NRHM alleged while narrating the incident to reporters. The semi-conscious women, many of whom belong to a minority community, were dumped casually in the most unhygienic condition onto the field under the open sky as onlookers cast curious gaze, the nurses alleged. Some women were sent home by van-rickshaws without keeping the patients under a mandatory observation period. The sterilisation camp was organised by Block Medical Officer (Health) Dr Joydeep Mazumdar. When contacted, Chief Medical Officer (Health), Malda, Dr B Mishra said abandoning women, who were operated upon, onto a open field was 'inhuman'. "No help was sought from us for organising the camp. I have already started an investigation into the incident," he said.