Rising figures of deaths and failures following sterilisation has got the government worried and a concerned Union health ministry has decided to seek an evaluation of the entire sterilisation process in the country done through the government agencies.
Official figures paint a grim picture. Number of deaths following sterilisation procedures, which was approximately 166 in 2008, rose to 232 in 2009. In 2010, the number of sterilisation related deaths were 155. As for the failures, across the nation in 2008 of 3,824 sterilisation cases 3,540 were reported failures. In 2009, of 5,377 cases there were 232 deaths and 4,996 failures. In 2010 of 5142 cases, 4,911 were failures and 155 deaths.
By June 2011, of 1,013 cases the government has so far recorded 995 cases of failures and seven deaths.
Tamil Nadu has been reporting the maximum number of deaths. Out of the total number of 133 sterilisation cases in 2008 in Tamil Nadu, a total of 25 persons died while 108 cases were reported as failures.
In 2009 of 245 cases, 43 deaths were reported along with 201 failures. In 2010, Tamil Nadu reported of 243 cases, of which there were 25 deaths and 217 failures.
In Andhra Pradesh, of the 52 sterilisation cases, 23 died and 19 were failure while in 2009 of 112 cases, there were 34 deaths and 40 failures and in 2010 of 50 cases there were 21 deaths and 23 failures.
In Uttar Pradesh, of 755 cases 15 died and there were 738 failures in 2008. The figures of both sterilisation and casualties kept rising in the state.
Of 1287 cases, 18 deaths and 1,260 failures were reported in 2009 while of 1,167 cases 1,156 were failures and seven deaths.
The figures available till June 2011 show nearly total failure in Uttar Pradesh. Of 209 cases, one person died and there were 207 reported failures and one complication.
With alarm bells ringing, the health ministry has now asked the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) to evaluate the sterilisation process which will help the ministry know about the fallout.