In a shocking incident in Uttar Pradesh, a 40-year-old man with hearing and speaking impairment was sterilized on the pretext of Covid-19 vaccination. The Asha worker who had taken him for the vaccination promised him to pay INR 3,500 rupees for getting the vaccination.
On Sunday, Asha worker Neelam Kumari picked up Dhruv Kumar (40) of Bishanpur village who is deaf and mute to get him vaccinated. Soon after, Dhruv Kumar returned to his home, he fell unconscious and was rushed to hospital.
It is alleged that the healthcare worker was trying to complete the targets which the district health department had given to each block ahead of World Population Day on July 11.
“My wife and I are uneducated and do not know about the proceedings of the Covid-19 vaccination. On Sunday, Asha worker Neelam came to my house and asked for permission to take my disabled brother for the vaccination. She claimed that if my brother would go for vaccination along with her, he will be getting Rs 3,000 (the amount provided by the state government to a male member on sterilization). For availing benefit of the government scheme, she asked for the bank passbook and Aadhaar card of my brother. She took my brother and after an hour left him on the way back home,” said Ashok Kumar, victim’s brother.
“Dhruv Kumar was unconscious when he was brought to the hospital. For better treatment, he was referred to Agra after the consent of the family members. I do not know the details of the entire matter. But the sterilization procedure cannot be done on an unmarried man,” said an emergency ward doctor from the district hospital.
However, Umesh Kumar Tripathi, the Chief Medical Officer of the district has denied all the allegations stating, “Community healthcare workers go house-to-house to vaccinate people, and get compensated very meagerly. I don’t see any monetary motive behind this. No fault of ASHA worker has been found in the whole sequence of events. The sister-in-law of the man had misguided her and asked her to take him for the procedure, saying he has three children.”
“As long as the affected person doesn’t come forward, we can’t get any clarity in the case,” said Umesh Kumar Tripathi.
An application for a police complaint has been lodged in the matter.
