A cycle pump was used to dilate the cervix of women during sterilization surgeries at a camp in Angul district on Friday. The state government took serious note of the matter and ordered a probe on Saturday. The district medical authorities and the surgeon on duty at the government-run Banarpal community health centre, however, defended the procedure as "routine" in such operations in most government health facilities in the state.
This comes close on the heels of 13 women dying after botched sterilization surgeries at a government camp in Chhattisgarh. Dr Mahesh Chandra Rout, who operated on the women, said, "Cycle pumps are routinely used in many other parts of the state in the absence of costly medical equipment. There is no reason to make a big fuss about it as it has been proved fairly safe, and an affordable alternative." He claimed he had performed 60,000 sterilization surgeries…
