Kendrapara: The National Human rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Chief Secretary to pay a sum of Rs 14 lakh to 56 women who had suffered stigma due to a sterilisation surgery violating the parameters of medical science.
Bicycle pumps were used in place of insufflators to pump carbon dioxide into the abdomen of women for regulating gas pressure during surgery.
The NHRC passed the order recently while acting on the petition and subsequent submissions by rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy and reports submitted by state authorities. It said proof of payment must be submitted before it within six weeks.
Earlier, presuming that the state government had no objection to payment of compensation to victims as the government failed to respond to the show cause notice issued by the NHRC, it had directed to pay Rs 25,000 each to the 56 victims.
Responding to the directions of the NHRC, the Commissioner-cum-Secretary said June 7 that as per statements recorded none of the women had reported any complication after sterilisation.
In fact, due care was taken and better services were provided to the women who had undergone sterilisation December 28, 2014. As the government had provided all facilities to the patients there was no complaint after the operations, he added.
The Commissioner-cum-Secretary also requested the NHRC to reconsider the compensation of Rs 25,000 awarded to each of the women.
Normally, insufflators are used in laparoscopic operations to pump carbon dioxide into the abdomen of women for regulating gas pressure during surgery. As insufflators were not available bicycle pumps were used as substitute. Tripathy alleged that this was discrimination against rural women.
After the NHRC direction during investigation by QAC members not a single complaint was reported by relatives of the women about any inconvenience. The opinions of the relatives in client audit formats were obtained and PRI members have signed it as witnesses.
In their statements, all the 56 women confirmed that they had no complaints regarding the sterilisation operation.
Tripathy requested the NHRC to compensate the victims and stop this practice not only in Odisha but in the entire nation.
The NHRC examined the report and said that the explanation offered by the Commissioner-cum-Secretary was not acceptable. The grounds on which the government had objected to the payment of compensation to the victims had already been considered by the Commission.
The NHRC reiterated its recommendation dated September 11, 2017 and directed the Chief Secretary to pay of Rs 25,000 each to 56 women who had undergone sterilisation in the camp conducted in Angul December 28, 2014 and submit proof of payment within six weeks
