A Patna hospital removed six women's uteruses without consent, told them it was hernia surgery, and billed Ayushman Bharat for the privilege. Bihar did the exact same thing in 2012 with 16,000-50,000 women. The sequel nobody asked for.
Evers Hospital in Patna's Kankarbagh locality has been caught performing unauthorized hysterectomies on at least six women, removing their uteruses without consent under the guise of treating hernias and piles — then billing the government's Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme for the surgeries. The fraud was discovered when patients returned home and noticed their periods had stopped, which is admittedly a bold diagnostic clue. A medical board confirmed that the uterus of at least one patient was "surgically removed while informing her that she was suffering from incisional hernia." The hospital's Ayushman Bharat registration has been cancelled. Bihar veterans will recognise this plot — the state experienced a massive uterus removal scam in 2012 under the RSBY scheme, where an estimated 16,000 to 50,000 poor women were subjected to unnecessary hysterectomies for insurance claims. Fourteen years later, the franchise is back with a fresh cast and the same script.