Representative image

MUMBAI: Twenty years after undergoing hysterectomy , Asha Shinde (40) from Kumshi village in Beed is still living with the pain and scars of the womb removal surgery. The mother of three wakes up with back pain and body ache on most days. Though struggling to make ends meet, the nagging backache forced Shinde and her husband, both sugarcane-cutters, to borrow Rs 1.5 lakh from their employer in 2018. They will take at least three years to repay the debt.

Shinde is among the thousands of women from Beed who have had their wombs removed to not lose out on daily wages and are now living with its debilitating side-effects . Though local agencies say it was always known that an unusually high number of Beed women undergo hysterectomies, the government only woke up to its magnitude following a series of media reports in April. Figures suggest that over 4,500 women from the district have undergone hysterectomies in the last three years.

A 2018 survey of 200 women in Beed by Maharashtra State Commission for Women revealed that 36% had undergone hysterectomy. A more recent survey this year by the public health department of 271 women showed that 21% had undergone hysterectomies. Both surveys revealed that nearly 85% of the procedures were at private hospitals . “The National Family Health Survey data shows that across Maharashtra, 2.6% hysterectomies are performed, while the national average is 3.2%. The Beed numbers are 14 times more. It’s alarming,” said Dr Abhay Shukla of SATHI (Support for Advocacy and Training to Health Initiatives).

NGOs said the issue of “unwarranted and unindicated” hysterectomies are not just a case of exploitation by the medical sector, but the by-product of a vicious cycle of unemployment, migration, early marriages and subhuman work conditions. Many of these agencies came together in Mumbai on Wednesday to demand punitive action against private hospitals performing the procedures. “Investigation by the state has found that the majority of the surgeries were done at 11 private hospitals. We want experts to find out how many were indicated and initiate punitive action against the others,” said Abhijit More of Jan Arogya Abhiyan, adding that these women should be compensated. Rukmini Nagapure of Ekal Mahila Sangathana alleged that doctors resorted to fear-mongering. “Women are told hysterectomy could prevent cancer,” she said.

Lakhs of husband-wife couples from Beed migrate to other states to work as sugarcane-cutters for five to six months for meagre wages of Rs 35,000 to Rs 1 lakh. Their work timings stretch up to 14-16 hours.

Beed collector Astik Kumar Pande said they have formed a panel that would approve every hysterectomy performed in a private hospital. “We have found that most hysterectomies look legitimate on paper, but we have started a district-wide survey of women who have undergone the procedure. We have also begun educating the 10 lakh women population in Beed,” he said, adding that they didn’t find any evidence that women were asked by contractors to undergo the procedure.

Mumbai: Twenty years after undergoing hysterectomy, Asha Shinde (40) from Kumshi village in Beed is still living with the pain and scars of the womb removal surgery. The mother of three wakes up with excruciating back pain and body ache and fatigue on most days. Though struggling to make ends meet, the nagging backache forced Shinde and her husband, both sugarcane-cutters, to borrow Rs 1.5 lakh from their employer in 2018. They will take at least three years to repay the debt.

Shinde is among the thousands of women from Beed who have had their wombs removed to not lose out on daily wages and are now living with its debilitating side-effects. Though local agencies say it was always known that an unusually high number of Beed women undergo hysterectomies, the government only woke up to its magnitude following a series of media reports in April. Figures suggest that over 4,500 women from the district have undergone hysterectomies in the last three years.

A 2018 survey of 200 women in Beed by Maharashtra State Commission for Women revealed that 36% had undergone hysterectomy. A more recent survey this year by the public health department of 271 women showed that 21% had undergone hysterectomies. Both surveys revealed that nearly 85% of the procedures were happening at private hospitals. “The National Family Health Survey data shows that across Maharashtra, 2.6% hysterectomies are performed, while the national average is 3.2%. The Beed numbers are 14 times more. It’s alarming,” said Dr Abhay Shukla of SATHI (Support for Advocacy and Training to Health Initiatives).

NGOs said the issue of “unwarranted and unindicated” hysterectomies are not just a case of exploitation by the medical sector, but the by-product of a vicious cycle of unemployment, migration, early marriages and subhuman work conditions. Many of these agencies came together in Mumbai on Wednesday to demand punitive action against private hospitals performing the procedures. “Investigation by the state has found that the majority of the surgeries were done at 11 private hospitals. We want experts to find out how many were indicated and initiate punitive action against the others,” said Abhijit More of Jan Arogya Abhiyan, adding that these women should be compensated. Rukmini Nagapure of Ekal Mahila Sangathana alleged that doctors resorted to fear-mongering. “Women are told hysterectomy could prevent cancer,” she said, adding work conditions are at the root of this menace.

Lakhs of husband-wife couples, called jodis, from Beed migrate to other states to work as sugarcane-cutters for five to six months of the year for meagre wages of Rs 35,000 to Rs 1 lakh. Their work timings stretch up to 14-16 hours, starting from 5am. “During menstruation, it gets difficult for us to work at a stretch. But if I skip work, both of us lose our day’s wage (Rs 100-200),” said Asha Jogdand from Kasari village. The mother of three said she underwent sterilisation at the age of 19 and hysterectomy at 25. “I suffered from excessive bleeding, discharge and pain during period and therefore decided to remove the uterus,” she said.

“Many of us suffer from backaches, weakness and neck pain,” said Sheela Waghmare (32), who underwent a hysterectomy at the age of 20. Two of her children were delivered in a sugar factory, she said, indicating the lack of health facilities. “My doctor advised me to undergo hysterectomy,” she said.

Beed collector Astik Kumar Pande said they have sprung into action and formed a panel that would approve every hysterectomy performed in a private hospital. “We have analysed hysterectomies and found that most hysterectomies look legitimate on paper, but we have started a district-wide survey of women who have undergone the procedure. We have also begun educating the 10 lakh women population in Beed,” he said, adding that they didn’t find any evidence that women were asked by contractors to undergo the procedure.

