RickieDumas3 at 18:21, 7 April 2026

2026-04-07T18:21:23Z

New page

In November 2014, 15 women died after undergoing mishandled sterilization operations performed in the [[India]]n state of [[Chhattisgarh]]. In addition to the 15 deaths, 70 women were hospitalized in critical condition,<ref name=bloomberg/> 20 of whom were put on mechanical ventilation.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-29999874 | title=Indian botched sterilisations kill nine women in Chhattisgarh | work=BBC News | date=11 November 2014 | accessdate=11 November 2014}}</ref>

==Background==
Each of the women was paid to undergo the procedure. Reports have differed on how much, with some saying the amount was 1,400 [[rupee]]s,<ref name=cnn>{{cite web | url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/11/world/asia/india-sterilization-deaths/ | title=India: 11 women die, 62 more hospitalized after being paid to be sterilized | work=CNN | date=11 November 2014 | accessdate=11 November 2014 | author=Pokharel, Sugam}}</ref> while others said it was 600.<ref name=nytimes>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/world/asia/botched-government-sterilizations-india.html | title=11 Women Die After Botched Government Sterilizations in India | work=New York Times | date=12 November 2014 | accessdate=11 November 2014 | author=Barry, Ellen}}</ref> The government of India sometimes pays women to be sterilized in order to curb [[population growth]] in the country.<ref name=nytimes/>

==Sterilisations==
On November 8, 2014, Dr. R. K. Gupta and an unnamed assistant carried out [[tubectomy|tubectomies]] on around 140 women in two different camps<ref name="bbc"/> in Pendari, [[Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh|Bilaspur]] district.<ref name="sian"/> He was then honored by the Chhattisgarh government for carrying out the record number of sterilizations.<ref name="bbc"/>

However, the women fell ill on November 10, 2014, two days after the surgery.<ref name=reuters>{{cite web | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-health-sterilization-idUSKCN0IV0MP20141111 | title=Ten women die after botched surgery at sterilization 'camp' in India | work=Reuters | date=11 November 2014 | accessdate=11 November 2014 | author=Dash, Jatindra}}</ref> By that night, eight of them had died,<ref name=usatoday/> and their deaths were announced the following day.<ref name=nytimes/> By November 13, 2014, 13 deaths were reported with seventy hospitalized and some admitted in [[AIIMS]].<ref name="sian">{{cite web|url=http://www.asianage.com/india/sterilisation-death-toll-climbs-13-026|title=Sterilisation death toll climbs to 13|work=The Asian Age|access-date=2014-11-13|archive-date=2014-11-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141124094901/http://www.asianage.com/india/sterilisation-death-toll-climbs-13-026|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Investigation==
S.K. Mandal, the chief medical officer in Chhattisgarh, suggested that the doctor who performed the operations was under pressure to meet government-set targets for a number of sterilizations that had to be performed.<ref name=abc>{{cite web | url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/sterilization-deaths-show-indias-health-care-ills-26854655?singlePage=true | title=Sterilization Deaths Show India's Health Care Ills | work=ABC News | date=12 November 2014 | accessdate=12 November 2014 | agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

According to an unnamed medical official, by performing 83 sterilizations in six hours, the doctor had breached guidelines requiring surgeons to perform no more than 30 sterilizations per day.<ref name=bloomberg>{{cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-11/eight-women-dead-after-india-mass-sterilization-goes-awry.html | title=Doctor Used Infected Tools on Indian Women as 10 Dead | work=Bloomberg | date=11 November 2011 | accessdate=11 November 2014 | author=Krishnan, Unni}}</ref> The unnamed doctor reacted by saying that the women were well when they left the hospital. In a telephone interview, he attributed their vomiting and abdominal pain to antibiotics they had been given.<ref name=nytimes/> Mandal described the doctor in question as a "very senior and respected surgeon".<ref name=abc/>

The exact cause of the deaths remains unclear.<ref name=reuters/> According to Amar Singh, the deputy health director of Chhattisgarh, the women appeared to have died from either [[blood poisoning]] or [[hemorrhagic shock]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/indian-women-die-27-ill-sterilization-26824394 | title=At Least 11 Women Die After Sterilization in India | work=ABC News | date=11 November 2014 | accessdate=11 November 2014 | author=Daigle, Katy}}</ref>

The leader of the investigation, police inspector S.N. Shukla, said that preliminary investigations suggested that the deaths were caused by either contaminated equipment or adulterated medicines.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-health-sterilisation-system-idUSKCN0IW1YO20141112 | title=Women face hasty surgery, dirty clinics in Indian sterilization drive | work=Reuters | date=12 November 2014 | accessdate=12 November 2014 | author=Kalra, Aditya}}</ref> According to district medical officer M.A. Jeemani, results of autopsies performed on some of the women who died suggested that the administration of tainted medicines might have caused the women's deaths.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/14/world/asia/tainted-drugs-suspected-in-india-sterilization-deaths.html | title=Tainted Drugs Suspected in India Sterilization Deaths | work=New York Times | date=14 November 2014 | accessdate=13 November 2014 | author=Raj, Suhasini}}</ref> On November 15, two senior Chhattisgarh officials stated that tablets of [[ciprocin]] that had been linked to the deaths contained [[zinc phosphide]], a chemical often used in [[rat poison]]. This conclusion arose from a preliminary report, and samples of the tablets have been sent to other laboratories for verification.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-health-sterilisation-idUSKCN0IZ06520141115 | title=Rat poison chemical found in pills linked to India sterilization deaths | work=Reuters | date=15 November 2014 | accessdate=15 November 2014 | author=Kalra, Aditya}}</ref> The company responded to this finding by releasing a statement which said that information about the incident had been exaggerated, denying that the pills they produced were contaminated.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.foxnews.com/health/company-denies-rat-poison-in-pills-linked-to-india-sterilization-deaths/ | title=Company denies rat poison in pills linked to India sterilization deaths | work=Fox News Channel | date=17 November 2014 | access-date=17 November 2014 | agency=Reuters}}</ref>

===Arrests===
After being condemned by Chief Minister [[Raman Singh]],<ref name=bw>{{cite web | url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-11-11/sterilization-horror-shows-indian-women-at-risk-for-10 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114034339/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-11-11/sterilization-horror-shows-indian-women-at-risk-for-10 | url-status=dead | archive-date=November 14, 2014 | title=Sterilization Horror Shows Indian Mothers at Risk for $10 | work=Businessweek | date=11 November 2014 | accessdate=11 November 2014 | author=Pradhan, Bibhudatta}}</ref> on 12 November, Dr. Gupta was arrested and subsequently suspended. He said, "''It was not my fault - the administration pressured me to meet targets. The surgeries went well but the problem was with the medicines given to the women.''"<ref name="bbc"/> The case was presided over by [[Mahadev Katulkar]].

On November 14, 2014, the Director of Mahawar Pharma, the company that supplied medicines used in the sterilizations, was arrested and charged with fraud,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/11/14/364089920/drug-maker-in-indias-sterilization-deaths-arrested | title=Drugmaker In India's Sterilization Deaths Arrested | work=NPR | date=14 November 2014 | accessdate=15 November 2014 | author=Calamur, Krishnadev}}</ref> and the company's drugs were banned from consumption.

==Response==
Chief Minister [[Raman Singh]] blamed negligence for the incident, and as a result, four health officials were suspended by the state, including the district's chief medical officer.<ref name=usatoday>{{cite web | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/11/11/India-women-sterilization/18840319/ | title=Eight women die in India sterilization drive | work=[[USA Today]] | date=11 November 2014 | accessdate=11 November 2014 | author=Onyanga-Omara, Jane}}</ref> The government promised to pay the equivalent of about $6,600 to each of the affected families.<ref name=abc/>

Unnamed local health officials denied any responsibility for the deaths, with some suggesting added pressure from the government to perform many operations in a short space of time. Chhattisgarh Health Minister [[Amar Agarwal]] said that the government has banned six unnamed medicines for such operations pending the investigation.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30032878|title=India sterilisations: Doctor arrested over operation deaths|work=[[BBC News]]|date=13 November 2014}}</ref>

A team of doctors from [[All India Institute of Medical Sciences]] reached Bilaspur to probe the incident. Few other surgeons from the neighboring state of [[Andhra Pradesh]] were called on to assist in this crisis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sakshi.com/news/national/rahul-gandhi-meets-families-of-bilaspur-sterilisation-victims-alleges-cover-up-185969|title=కు.ని. ఆపరేషన్లపై తప్పు కప్పిపుచ్చే యత్నం: రాహుల్ గాంధీ|date=16 November 2014|publisher=}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=November 2014}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chhattisgarh sterilisation deaths, 2014}}
[[Category:Sterilization (medicine)]]
[[Category:2014 in India]]
[[Category:2010s in Chhattisgarh|2014 sterilisation deaths]]
[[Category:Medical error]]
[[Category:November 2014 in India]]

2014 Chhattisgarh sterilisation deaths - Revision history

RickieDumas3 at 18:21, 7 April 2026