The Centre has asked states to provide data on hysterectomies conducted in private as well as public hospitals with an aim to prevent certain medical institutions from carrying out the procedure even when it is unnecessary and unjustified. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has advised all states and Union Territories to undertake compulsory audit for all hysterectomies as is being done for maternal mortality in all healthcare institutions, both public and private.

“The matter is regarding the prevention of unnecessary and often unjustified hysterectomies performed by certain medical institutions. This issue is being closely monitored by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,” Bhushan said in a letter sent to all states and Union Territories on April 28.

Guidelines on hysterectomy — a procedure in which the uterus is removed surgically — were prepared by the health ministry and a copy of it with a data collection format was circulated to all states earlier.

“The states are requested to share the hysterectomy status/data pre and post-implementation of these guidelines. They are also advised to undertake compulsory audits for all hysterectomies, as is already being done for maternal mortality in all healthcare Institutions (both public and private),” the letter stated.

The ministry last year stated that community-based studies have consistently found rising hysterectomy rates among young women aged between 28 and 36 years.

According to it, the prevalence of hysterectomy was 3.6 per cent among women in the age group of 30 to 39 years and 9.2 per cent among those between 40 and 49 citing the National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16) estimates.