The Beed district of Maharashtra is in the news after a startling revelation by a probe committee led by Shiv Sena legislator Neelam Gorhe. The district is infamous for its startling hysterectomy records. Around 50 percent of the women belonging to the working class in the region has undergone hysterectomy or the surgical removal of the uterus. The probe committee revealed that as many as 13,500 cases have been reported in the last 15 years in the district. ‘Womb-Less’ Villages of Beed Reveal the Shocking Truth Why Many Women Here Don't Have Uteruses.

Gorhe told Hindustan Times that the officials from the state conducted a two-month-long survey on 82,000 women to come to the conclusion. She also made another heart-breaking revelation that the common factor in all the cases was the sheer lack of basic facilities.

The probe revealed that women who underwent the hysterectomies in Beed were between the age groups 35-45. Women as young as 25 years of age have also undergone the process, although they were in the minority.

Why So Many Hysterectomies in Beed?

Beed has been known for its alarming number of womb-less women. An overwhelming number of female labourers, mostly cane cutters, willingly undergo hysterectomy for subsistence. Since menses force women to stay away from work for four-five days, they are generally not favoured or picked by mukadams or contractors.

Since cane-cutting is a seasonal activity, these women don’t find work throughout the year. Even a day’s absence can make a big difference in their income. So the women are often advised by their mukadams to undergo a hysterectomy.

Some contractors also bear the cost of the procedure and recover the cost from the women’s wages. These women also find themselves at the receiving end of exploitation by the contractors. And sadly, they usually don’t have access to quality services or healthcare after the procedure.

Since they don’t have access to sanitation facilities at the worksite, these women also opt for hysterectomy for practical reasons.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 30, 2019 06:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).