Asia

Scores of Indian women dumped unconscious in field after sterilisations

More than 100 women were dumped unconscious in a field after a mass sterilisation in eastern India because there was no room in hospital for them to recuperate, medical officials say.

Agence France Presse

February 07, 2013

KOLKATA, India // Scores of women were dumped unconscious in a field after a mass sterilisation in eastern India because there was no room in hospital for them to recuperate, medical officials said yesterday.

The women had all undergone surgical procedures at a hospital in the Malda district of West Bengal, about 320 kilometres north of the state capital Kolkata, which officials admitted was not equipped to accommodate such a large number of patients.

The scandal came to light after the news channel NDTV aired amateur footage of unconscious women being carried out of the hospital on Tuesday and then placed on open land.

Local health officials acknowledged that the patients' treatment was unacceptable and promised an inquiry.

"Over 100 women, mostly poor, came to the camp for the surgery. Immediately after the procedure, the doctors asked the helpers to move each of them to the adjacent field," Biswa Ranjan Satpathi, West Bengal's director of health services, said in Kolkata.

"This is inhuman and we have ordered a probe into the incident."

Medical experts also voiced shock over conditions at the hospital, where four doctors carried out a total of 106 sterilisations in one day.

Uday Roy, a health campaigner who was present at the sterilisation camp, said some of the women were shoved on rickshaws after surgery even though they were clearly in no fit state to make any kind of journey.

"A woman sterilised in the hospital fell off the rickshaw on the way to her home and she had to be hospitalised with severe injuries," said Mr Roy, who works at Debalaya Trust, a voluntary organisation providing free medical services.

Unlike China, India has no laws limiting the number of children a family can have.

However, given its billion-plus population, local governments often offer incentives such as cars and electrical goods to couples volunteering for sterilisation.

'The worst thing you can eat'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.