Quality of care in laparoscopic sterilisation camps: Observations from Kerala, India

Abstract

Laparoscopic sterilisations are performed in institutional as well as mobile settings, known as camps, under the Indian Family Welfare Programme. One such camp, held at a Taluk (sub-district) hospital in Palakkad district in Kerala, was observed as part of a study on quality of services in this Programme. Services in sterilisation camps in Kerala were found to be better than elsewhere in India, but they did not conform to the standards laid down by Programme authorities specifically for such camps. Due to the high demand for these services, 48 sterilisations were performed by only one surgical team in just over two hours in one day, in clear violation of the regulations. Counselling of the women before surgery was inadequate, the surgeon never changed his gloves, the linen on the operating tables was never changed, and the facilities in the building were grossly insufficient to support the women's requirements afterwards.