Woman gets pregnant thrice as sterilization fails in Bihar; health dept grants Rs 6,000 compensation

A woman from Kewatsa gets pregnant thrice despite being sterilized in 2015. Repeated complaints by the couple prove to be of no use as the civil surgeon denies responsibility and compensates the couple with Rs 6,000.

Muzaffarpur:Despite Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's repeated efforts to take up the issue of family planning seriously, Bihar's population is far from being under control. Even though government officials are trying their best, qualitative factors are falling short. A strange case of three unplanned births in a family in the Muzaffarpur district despite the birthgiver being sterilized has caused a stir among the public.

A 35-year-old woman from Kewatsa village underwent sterilization at the Gaighat government hospital in 2015. Back then, she had four children- three daughters and a son. To curb the family's growing populace, the couple decided to opt for sterilization. The woman went under the knife and it was successful.

However, three years later, to everyone's shock, the woman gave birth to a son in 2018. The couple was taken aback and complained to the then Civil Surgeon, Dr Gyan Shankar, who in turn ordered a probe into it. Complaining proved to be of no help as the woman got pregnant yet again in 2020. This time, she gave birth to a daughter. Then the couple approached the health officials once again. To ensure damage control, the couple were given a compensation of Rs 6,000.

“Despite undergoing the operation, she kept giving birth to children. We are worried and scared. I earn a meagre amount by working on fields owned by landowners. The amount is not enough to run a family of six and now we are nine. My wife underwent the operation on the advice of the doctor, but we don't see any benefits of it," the husband said.

As per reports, the family has been frequenting the health department for the last nine years to complain about the failure of the sterilization operation and to take action against the doctor concerned, but in vain. Dr Gyan Shankar said, "I have no information on this matter. I was not present when she was operated on. However, I have ordered yet another probe into the matter and we will get to the roots of it."