Due to lack of clinical audit, thousands of innocent women in Kashmir are being subjected to “unscrupulous” hysterectomies — surgical removal of uterus, claimed Doctors Association of Kashmir.
“Women in Kashmir are prone to osteoporosis which is facilitated by unnecessary and scandalous hysterectomies,” said DAK president Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan.
Dr Hassan attributed the increasing cases of osteoporosis among women to removal of uteruses after pregnancy complications.
As per the Union Health Ministry data, more than 12,000 hysterectomy surgeries were conducted in Jammu and Kashmir in 2014 and 2015, he said.
The DAK president urged the state government to initiate stringent action against erring doctors and hospitals to stop such rampant “unscrupulous hysterectomies”.
“Data of hysterectomy surgeries should be made mandatory for each private and government hospital in the state. There is need to protect innocent women in Kashmir and stop such rampant unscrupulous hysterectomies. We believe that unless there is an effective, efficient and accountable public health system such unethical practices will continue,” he said.
While osteoporosis is rampant among Kashmiri women, he said the government-run hospitals in the Valley lacked vital equipments to detect the bone loss. “Government-run hospitals in Kashmir are without the facility of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan which is routinely used in clinical practice to detect bone loss,” he said.
He said patients were referred to private clinics to get the test done, an option available to only those who can afford it.
“Due to unavailability of bone density testing, we do not know the magnitude of the disease in our population,” he added.
DAK expresses concern over rampant hysterectomies in Valley
