Set to get married a month later, a 35-year-old man from a village in Gujarat’s Mehsana district underwent an unnecessary vasectomy at a community health center (CHC) last month, the man alleged.
The procedure was performed as part of the No Scalpel Vasectomy (NSV) programme, which comes under the Central Government’s National Health Mission.
The charges come close on the heels of an alleged scam involving the misuse of another government scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), as part of which seven people in the same district were subjected to “unnecessary angioplasty”, resulting in death. Out of two in a private hospital in Ahmedabad following post-operative complications.
The NSV procedure was performed on a 35-year-old man on November 29 during the NSV fortnight observed by the Gujarat government between November 21 and December 4.
The consent form, which bears the alleged fingerprints of the man, states that he is the father of three children – two sons and a daughter, two health department officials confirmed to The Indian Express.
The 35-year-old is a resident of Navi Sedhawi village in Mehsana district.
The district administration has instructed to investigate the incident. A report has been submitted to the District Development Officer (DDO) and a show cause notice has been issued to the health workers concerned.
On Thursday, the 35-year-old man told media persons gathered outside his house that he was taken to the CHC on the pretext of ‘labor work’. However, this claim is under investigation.
Officials told The Indian Express that the man, one of the four siblings, had lost an elder brother days before the procedure. His relatives have told the media that they are planning to get married within a month.
Mehsana DDO Jasmin Hasrat was unavailable for comment as Dr Nayan Jani, Additional Director of Family Welfare, Gujarat Health Department.
No FIR or police complaint has been lodged in this matter so far.
Mehsana Chief District Health Officer (CDHO) Dr Mahesh Kapadia said, “A multipurpose health worker came in contact with a past NSV beneficiary. Despite being unmarried and childless, they took the 35-year-old man for the procedure. They took her to Adalaj CHC in Gandhinagar district and conducted the procedure there without informing any Mehsana officials, especially the Additional District Health Officer (ADHO) in charge of family planning.
Dr Kapadia added, “In the consent form submitted to Adlaj CHC, it is stated that the man is the father of three children. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
Gandhinagar CDHO Dr AJ Vaishna said the vasectomy was done, “The matter is being investigated and the claim of the person alleging unnecessary vasectomy is being investigated. However, it is true that her fingerprinted consent form mentions that she has three children.
According to another health official, men who opt for NSV get Rs 2,000 as an incentive, while those who persuade for surgery get Rs 300.
Explaining the process of informed consent in such cases, a health official said on condition of anonymity, “There is a form that details the person agreeing to undergo the procedure, including marital status and children’s details. It has to be signed. There are also details of the trigger. Finally, the surgeon Signed this form.
NSV is a no-knife permanent sterilization method for men.