Patna: The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) in Bihar has asked the government to pay compensation to more than 500 poor women who had their uteruses removed by the doctors allegedly to avail incentives through insurance companies under the National Health Insurance Scheme.

The order comes four years after the rights panel took Suo Motu cognisance of the case based on news stories published in the local media in 2012.

The commission, through its order issued on Tuesday, directed the government to pay compensation of Rs180 million (Dh9.93 million) to the victims who lost their right to bear children through one act of greedy doctors.

The commission also said the surgeries performed on the young women were totally unwarranted.

“Denying the women their pleasure of motherhood is a flagrant violation of human rights. Such crime can’t be allowed in any civil society,” the SHRC chairperson Justice Bilal Nazki observed while passing the order.

Adding further, he said, “This act is barbaric and prima facie it appears these surgeries were only performed to get incentives by way of package amounts by insurance companies”.

As per the report, a total of 554 women had their uteruses removed by doctors during the course of surgeries, although none of them had any serious complications. One of the victims was as young as 20-year-old who had only just got married. Of the rest, 103 were in the age-group of 20-30, 288 in the age-group of 30-40 while the remaining 163 women were above 40 years of age. So far, the commission has identified 540 women.

While taking into account their age groups, the Commission ordered the government to pay a monetary compensation of Rs200,500 to women in the age-group of 28 and 40 and Rs150,000 to those above 40 years of age.

During the course of trial lasting for several months, the commission also found that the victims had their uteruses removed against their wishes.

Taking the matter seriously, the commission has also sought severe punishment against such erring doctors.

Reports said the commission has asked the Medical Council of India to identify the culprits and initiate action against them.