Non-consensual sterilisation: 52 women complain against Kurunegala Doctor

Complaint

Fifty two Sinhala Buddhist mothers have lodged complaints with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital charging that Dr. Shafi Shiha Abdeen had performed non-consensual sterilisation.

At the same time, 45 women, who had allegedly been sterilised by the doctor, had lodged complaints against him, with the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital by 5 p.m. on 26 May.

Hospital sources revealed that most of these mothers who had lodged complaints were expecting to conceive for a second time after having given birth to their first child.

Deputy Director of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital, Dr. Chandana Kedangamuwa said that in the complaints lodged by the mothers, they had claimed that after giving birth they had hoped to get pregnant a second time.

They have alleged due to sterilisation carried out on them without their consent, by the doctor concerned, they had not been able to give birth a second time.

Hospital sources added that the tests on the women, who have lodged complaints, are to be conducted through a Committee to be formed shortly by the Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, Police Department sources said that by yesterday (27), the CID had received seven complaints against Dr. Shiha Abdeen on his alleged sterilisation of women at the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital.

The CID said they have already launched investigations into the complaints.

(Source: Ceylon Today – By Sunil S. Pallendeniya (Kurunegala), Wijesingha Welikanda and Chamara Amarasuriya)