Arrested doctor blames sub-standard drugs

• Dr RK Gupta was on the run since the first death was reported
• Health of women deteriorated due to sub-standard drugs at camp
• IT took lives of 13 women in Bilaspur district
• Dr Gupta had operated 83 women in six hours at the camp
• Deaths of women in sterilisation camp worrying: UN

Bilaspur: Chhattisgarh police on Thursday arrested the surgeon whose botched sterilisations claimed the lives of 13 women in Bilaspur earlier this week, and will produce him in a court later in the day.

Dr RK Gupta was on the run since the first deaths were reported and an FIR was lodged against him on Tuesday.

The 59-year old surgeon, who was honoured by the Chhattisgarh government on January 26 this year for accomplishing a massive target on mass sterilisation in the state-run campaign, was detained at Baloda Bazar, about 70 km from Bilaspur.

"He has been arrested today (Thursday) after he was detained in Baloda Bazar district. He will be produced before the court soon," Bilaspur inspector general of police Pawan Deo said, adding more arrests are likely to follow.

Following his arrest, the surgeon told reporters he has been made a scapegoat.

"I am innocent. The health of the women deteriorated owing to the sub-standard drugs prescribed to them following the sterilisation surgery," he claimed.

"It was not my fault - the administration pressured me to meet targets," the doctor said. "The surgeries went well but the problem was with the medicines given to the women," he alleged.

Gupta, who had operated upon 83 women in six hours last Saturday at the Sakri health camp in Bilaspur (which would mean that he spent just two minutes per tubectomy), was suspended on Tuesday by the state government. While eight women died on Monday, three on Tuesday and one on Wednesday and at least two dozen others are being treated in various hospitals.

During the campaign even women of primitive tribes, whose sterilisation is banned by the government, were reportedly "coerced" to attend such camps.

UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said that the death of 13 women in India due to sterilisation surgeries is "worrying" and the government should take appropriate care to ensure such medical procedures are conducted in the safest and sanitary way possible.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has ordered a judicial probe into the botched operations at two government-run sterilization camps in Bilaspur. The government banned six drugs given to the women, suspecting they were spurious.

Samples of the drugs will be sent for testing.