Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha on the deaths due to sterilisation, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad today said there has been a decline in the number of death claims from 204 in 2010 and 246 in 2009.
Azad said government had paid a total of Rs 183.5 lakh as compensation in 106 claims settled for 2011. A total of Rs 297 lakh was given in 2010 in 168 death claims of the total 204 reported and another Rs 361.8 lakh paid as compensation during 2009 in 232 cases of the total 246 death claims reported during the year.
The Minister said female sterilisations have been higher than the male sterilisations during the past three years.
He said the government has been implementing the Family Planning Insurance Scheme since 2005 to take care of cases of failure of sterilisation, medical complications or death resulting from sterilisation and also to provide indemnity cover to the doctor and health facility performing sterilisation procedure.
As per the insurance policy applicable for the year 2012, an amount of Rs 2 lakh was admissible to the next of kin in case of sterilisation death if there was death following sterilisation in hospital or within seven days from the date of discharge from hospital.
A compensation of Rs 50,000 was allowed in case of death following sterilisation within 8-30 days from the date of discharge from the hospital.
