Women who underwent sterilisation surgeries in Khushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh were compelled to lie on the floor due to a lack of hospital beds following the death of 15 other women who underwent the same operations.
Surgeons at the hospital in Khushinagar were said to have performed 42 sterilisation operations in two hours.
Harish Kumar Gautam who is the medical officer in charge of primary health care centre where the surgeries took place, said the hospital only had a set number of beds and had arranged for women to lie down on mattresses and sheets instead.
"We have a fixed number of beds. If there are more patients, we have been ordered to arrange to get additional beds. Some of the beds are occupied by patients and rest are occupied by women. We have arranged for mattresses and sheets for the woman to lie down on after the operation," said Gautam.
Relatives of the women who underwent surgery were worried about them catching an infection.
"After the operation, women have been made to lie on the floor. We are asking for beds but nothing has been provided. If they get an infection or a disease what will we do?" explained a family member of a women told to lie on the floor.
Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Spokesperson Sudhindra Bhadoria demanded the resignation of Uttar Pradesh's health minister.
"The Uttar Pradesh government is very impatient and does not understand the problems faced by women, their health and security. In this case, the health minister should definitely tender his resignation," Bhadoria said.
Earlier on Wednesday, fifteen women had died after botched operations at a government mass sterilisation "camp" in Bilaspur district.
The women fell ill on Monday, two days after surgery at a so-called family planning camp.
