State transfers clerk, family planning incentive payment gets stalled at Sassoon

For the past four months, doctors at the gynaecology department of Sassoon hospital have been dealing with rowdy patients and drunk men.

Inviting such behaviour is the inability of the department all for want of a clerk to hand over the monetary incentive the government promises to women who undergo family planning operations.

A woman gets Rs 650 as incentive for a family planning operation and Rs 600 for delivering a baby in a government hospital.
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The incentive has given a great boost to the family planning operation figures, more so since it was hiked. Dr Pradip Sambharey, head of gynaec department, said Sassoon conducts at least 150 tubectomies a month.

But, for the past four months the incentive has not been given, and the women who went under the knife are now constantly following up with the hospital, leading to frequent unpleasant scenes at the department.

"The clerk who is supposed to look after these matters has been transferred by the state health authorities," said a gynaecologist at the hospital. "This isn't our job but patients don't understand this as they know only us.
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So, they have been coming to the hospital and fighting with us over this."

The gynaecologist said that the husband of a woman was so enraged that he almost got physical. "We are facing a lot of issues and informing higher authorities about this daily," he said.

Sassoon dean Dr Arun Jamkar said the issue was pending with the deputy director's office. Other officials say municipal authorities should resolve the matter.
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Dr D B Pardeshi, assistant health officer, PMC, said: "This is the job of the deputy director." Despite repeated attempts, deputy director Dr Uddhav Gavande did not take calls.