Imposed choice

Rise in hysterectomies among younger women and at private hospitals signals imminent public health crisis 

-  JESTY SAIRA VARGHESE

THE RISE in cases of hysterectomy or the surgical procedure for uterus removal in India has been a cause of concern in recent years with critics complaining that doctors are too quick to take out the uterus at the smallest sign of trouble. While it is difficult to gauge the actual extent of the problem due to lack of information, an analysis of the last two rounds of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) indicates some worrying trends: more younger women are now undergoing the surgical procedure and that most hysterectomies are being performed at private hospitals.

NFHS, conducted by the Union health ministry with the help of the International Institute for Population Sciences Mumbai, has started collecting hysterectomy data since its fourth round in 2015-16, and provides nationally representative estimates of the procedure. Data from its latest fifth round (NFHS-5) for 2019-21 shows that 3.3 per cent of women in the age group of 15-49 have undergone hysterectomy. This is a marginal increase from NFHS-4, which recorded a rate of 3.2 per cent. Both the surveys indicate that half of the women undergo the surgery before they turn 35.