Hyderabad performs family planning on unmarried men, ragpickers

U SUDHAKAR REDDY
HYDERABAD
SPECIAL: BROKERS LURE JOBLESS MEN WITH CASH

A state-run health unit in the city has conducted vasectomies on impoverished unmarried men to boost family planning figures. This journalist tracked the beneficiaries and found that many of them were unmarried youth, jobless men, substance abusers, rag-pickers and even petty thieves. They were subjected to the No Scalpel Vasectomy at Boggulakunta Urban Primary Health Centre (PHC), which was awarded for conducting 1,384 vasectomies in 2008-2009, the most in the stateIt has already performed 384 vasectomies this year, mostly on men who could not even sign their nameThe men undergo the surgeries for the Rs 1,450 incentive that the government pays them. They are lured by brokers, who are men paid Rs 200 to motivate men to undergo FP surgery. This correspondent tried to trace out the men but most of the addresses they provided were fake: Most of them live in the Public Gardens at NampallyA 23-year-old unmarried man, Vikram, told this correspondent: “I was bought here by Raju (a broker) who told me that I would be given Rs 1,100.”Brokers Raju and Srikanth said they bring the men to the Boggulkunta Urban Primary Health Centre for money. “We were operated here and got the incentive. We now get Rs 200 for bringing each youth.” The city has 35 PHCs which together conducted 3,263 vasectomies in 200809, according to the statistical officer Mr RajendraThe Boggulakunta medical officer, Dr Prasanna Kumari, denied the charges and, “I even discourage men having one child. We ask them whether they are married or not. They tell us that they are married and the motivator attests to that.” That is proof enoughRegarding the fake addresses, Dr Kumari said the officers ensure that they are from the area covered by the motivatorShe said there was no pressure to meet targets. “When some patients who already got operated tried to come back Dr Sridhar Rao pushed them out.” She said she had noticed her staff taking money from the menA hospital staff, Ms Varalakshmi, is alleged to be the person who runs the operation with the brokersShe said she is not taking money from the patientsThe district medical and health officer, Dr ChJayakumari, said, “It may not be happening in all PHCs in the city. I will order a probe into this and punish those involved.” Primary health centres are given monthly targets that need them to complete a particular number of vasectomy surgeries. The health officials are resorting to irregularities to reach the targets.